The Heirs of Hogwarts
by Falling Innocence
Summary: The Heirs of Hogwarts - descendants of Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff themselves. Gryffindor has two heirs, but that's no reason for Tom Riddle to worry, right? What if Petunia's a Squib? And James has a sister? R/R!!
1. Lily Rose Evans

Disclaimer: Basically the exact same thing I put for my other stories. I own anyone you don't recognize, anyone you do is JK's, aday, aday, halb, halb. (In case you didn't notice it, that's yada, yada, blah, blah backwards)  
  
Andrew Evans looked happily at his wife, then at the new baby girl in her arms.  
  
"She's perfect," he whispered, trying not to wake the little one up.  
  
Rose looked up at her husband from the hospital bed she was in.  
  
"Now we have two perfect daughters," she said, smiling at the blonde one- year-old girl that was trying to get her father to pick her up.  
  
"And they'll both grow up to be amazing, beautiful witches," Andrew boasted. "Just like their mother." He finally picked up his older daughter, who giggled happily.  
  
"I thought of a name for her," Rose whispered, holding her baby close.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Lily Rose Evans," Rose replied.  
  
"Now we have three flowers in the family," Andrew joked. "Maybe I should change my name to Grass or something so I can fit in with my Rose, my Petunia, and my brand-new Lily."  
  
"Maybe, Grass," Rose said, laughing. "But then again, maybe not. It doesn't seem very you."  
  
"True," he agreed. He bent down carefully, since he was still holding his other daughter. His red hair falling in his eyes, he kissed his new daughter's forehead. His blue eyes glowed happily.  
  
"The world seems perfect," Rose murmured. She brushed a strand of blonde hair back from her face, her green eyes equally as happy.  
  
They sat saying nothing, just being happy. Little did they know what was in store for their children, and then their grandson Harry. All they knew was that they were happy, and that the world couldn't get any better. 


	2. Rose's Suspicions

Disclaimer: Once again, I own what I own (namely Rose and Andrew) JK owns what she owns (namely Petunia, Lily, any other character like that.) If you don't recognize something, I probably own it. The End.  
  
Andrew came home from his job as an Auror two years later to see his wife sitting at the table, crying.  
  
"Rose, what's wrong?" he demanded, dropping his cloak and running to her side. He crouched down next to her and took her hand. "What happened? Are Lily and Petunia all right?"  
  
"Lily's fine," Rose said through her tears. "It's Petunia."  
  
"What's wrong with her? Is she hurt? Why didn't you call me?" he asked anxiously. He stood up, still holding his wife's hand. "Where is she? Petunia!"  
  
"She's in her room, taking a nap," Rose explained. "I didn't call you because I didn't want to upset the girls."  
  
"Is Petunia hurt somehow? Did that bully Vernon hit her again?" Andrew asked, mentioning Vernon Dursley, the fat four-year-old boy who lived across the street and loved to torture the Evans girls.  
  
"Petunia's fine, physically," Rose said, adding the last word as an afterthought. "It's just that I think that she's, well, a Squib," she said softly.  
  
Andrew laughed, an expression of immense relief on his face. He ran a hand through his hair. "Is that all?"  
  
"Yes, it is," Rose said, slightly taken aback that he didn't consider this an emergency.  
  
"Are you sure?" Andrew asked, calming down slightly.  
  
"I'm not completely sure," Rose said, starting to cry softly again. "But you know how Lily and Petunia are always asking to play with our wands. They were being really good today, so I let them play with my wand for a little while. Lily was having a blast making things in the garden explode, and when Petunia took it from her, she couldn't make anything happen. Anything at all," she finished, obviously upset.  
  
"Well, maybe she just wasn't trying hard enough," Andrew said soothingly.  
  
Rose, however, refused to be comforted. "What if she was?" she demanded.  
  
"Look, if it makes you feel better, I'll take her with me when I go back to the ministry and I'll have her tested," Andrew promised.  
  
Rose perked up at this. "That's a good idea," she agreed.  
  
"Now, where's my lunch?" Andrew asked, kissing her cheek.  
  
"It's in the kitchen," Rose answered, kissing him back.  
  
Andrew walked into the kitchen, got his lunch out of the refrigerator and sat at the table. Meanwhile, Rose went upstairs and into the bathroom to wash her face.  
  
Andrew was still sitting at the table, eating his lunch, when he heard soft footsteps on the linoleum. He looked up to see three-year-old Lily standing in the doorway, her short red curls messy from her nap.  
  
"Hi, Daddy," Lily said, running over to him, her feet making pitter-patter noises on the floor.  
  
"Hi, sweetie," Andrew replied, scooping her up and setting her on his lap. Lily squirmed, trying to turn so she was facing him. She finally succeeded and started playing with Andrew's hair.  
  
"Daddy," she said finally, staring into his eyes. "Why was Mummy so sad?"  
  
"Mummy was sad for no reason, Lily Rose," Andrew said. He took her chubby hands and made her clap, then cover her eyes, then play with her own hair.  
  
"I love you Daddy," Lily said, leaning forward and giving him kiss. She pulled her hands away from him. "Mummy was crying."  
  
"I know, sweetie," Andrew said. He took a bite of his sandwich and chewed thoughtfully. He swallowed, then looked at Lily again, who was watching him with her head tipped to one side. "Mummy was upset, but she's fine now," he said.  
  
"Daddy, Mummy let us play with her wand!" Petunia appeared in the doorway, her blonde hair a mess and clutching a worn-out blanket.  
  
"So I heard, Petty-Pie!" Andrew said, using Petunia's nickname. "Come sit on Daddy's lap with Lily."  
  
"No, I don't like Lily," Petunia said, sticking out her bottom lip.  
  
"I don't like Petty," Lily said, starting to cry.  
  
"Shh, Lily, it's all right," Andrew said. "Petty, why don't you like Lily? Lily, why don't you like Petty?"  
  
"Cause she can make flowers go boom! And I can't," Petunia pouted.  
  
"That's not your fault, sweetie," Andrew said, wondering whether Rose was right and Petunia really was a Squib.  
  
"I don't like Petty 'cause she doesn't like me," Lily said, scrunching up her face. "I used to like her, but she doesn't like me, so I don't like her."  
  
"Girls, there's no reason why you shouldn't like each other," Andrew said. He smiled down at Lily, then beckoned to Petunia to come over to him. She did, and he put his arm around her. "I must be the luckiest daddy alive," he told them.  
  
"Yeah, 'cause you've got us," Lily giggled.  
  
"I like you again, Lily," Petunia said. She started sucking her left thumb and held the blanket tighter with her right hand.  
  
"I like you again, too," Lily said. She reached over and patted her sister on the head.  
  
"Well, I see that you two found Daddy," Rose said, entering the room. She picked Petunia up. "Petty, sweet, you're going to go to work with Daddy for a little bit this afternoon."  
  
"Why, Mummy?" Petunia wanted to know.  
  
"Because Daddy needs you to do something for him," Rose answered. "Come on, let's go brush your hair."  
  
She carried Petunia out of the kitchen and upstairs to the room the girls shared. Andrew sat in the kitchen still, holding Lily on his lap.  
  
"How come she gets to go to work and I don't?" Lily asked, pouting. Her green eyes narrowed. "Is Daddy buying Petty candy and not me?" she demanded.  
  
"No, sweetie, Daddy's not," Andrew answered, laughing.  
  
"Okay. I love you, Daddy," Lily said, happy again. She climbed off his lap and followed her mother and sister upstairs.  
  
"Mummy, can I go to work with Daddy too?" she asked, going into the bathroom where Petunia was sitting on the counter having her hair brushed. She sat down on the floor and watched Rose comb Petunia's hair.  
  
"No, sweetie, you're going to stay here and help Mummy," Rose answered. She turned back to Petunia, who had started crying loudly because she had a huge knot in her hair and it hurt to have it combed.  
  
"Mummy, when do me and Petty get to go to magic school?" Lily asked.  
  
"Not for at least seven more years, sweet," Rose answered, smiling because her three year old wanted to go to school already.  
  
"But I wanna go now," Petunia whined. "I wanna go to the castle now!" She started crying again.  
  
"You aren't old enough, dear," Rose consoled her. "But we can go visit sometime, maybe," she added.  
  
"Yay!" Lily started jumping up and down. "We getta go to the castle, we getta go to the castle," she started singing.  
  
"Not right now, we don't," Rose said. She finished brushing Petunia's hair and picked her up again. "Are you ready to go with Daddy?"  
  
"Yes," Petunia answered promptly. She squirmed and Rose set her down. "Can I take my blankie?"  
  
"No, sweetie, blankie's going to stay here," Rose answered, prying it away from her. Petunia started crying again.  
  
"But I wanna take it," she wailed.  
  
"No, sweetie, you can't. Blankie's scared of going outside," Rose said, desperately trying to think of some way to get Petunia to leave the blanket. Thankfully, Lily came up with an idea.  
  
"I'll watch blankie for you, Petty," she volunteered. "I'll take goooood care of him," she promised.  
  
Petunia eyed her suspiciously. "You sure you won't hurt him?" she demanded.  
  
"I won't hurt him," Lily said. She inched closer to her sister, finally getting close enough to grab the blanket. Petunia let go of it reluctantly.  
  
"Okay," she said in an annoyed tone. She trotted out of the bathroom and almost fell down the stairs, but survived. She ran into the kitchen. "Let's go Daddy!"  
  
"All right, all right," Andrew said, laughing at his little girl's impatience. "Rose, I'm leaving!"  
  
"Have you got Petunia with you?" Rose called from upstairs.  
  
"Yes, we're leaving!" He picked Petunia up, grabbed his briefcase and cloak, and walked out the door. 


	3. The Confirmation

Disclaimer: whoever thought up the idea of doing disclaimers? I mean, obviously no one takes the time to read the damn things. I don't even know why I bother doing them. Oh, wait, yes I do, because they're entertaining to me and to the people who read them and like to see (read?) me going insane. Not to mention any *cough* Michelle *cough* names! Hee hee! DOGS RULE  
  
Andrew fastened Petunia into her carseat in the back seat.  
  
"Ready to go, sweetie?" he asked.  
  
Petunia nodded eagerly. "Do I get to staple again?"  
  
Andrew groaned inwardly, remembering what a mess that'd been, when she'd gone to work with him the month before and stapled everything in sight. Including Tom Riddle's report on cauldron bottoms that were so thick, nothing in them could be boiled. Tom had been furious.  
  
"No, sweetie," Andrew said, getting in the car and shutting his door. "No stapling."  
  
"Aww, but Daddy," Petunia whined.  
  
"No stapling, and that's final," Andrew said firmly.  
  
Petunia pouted the entire ride to the Ministry, refusing to answer any of Andrew's questions. She finally perked up when he got her out of the car and inside the tiny entrance that was, like the Leaky Cauldron, invisible to Muggles.  
  
"Daddy, can we get ice cream after?" Petunia begged. "Please?"  
  
"We'll see," came the absentminded reply.  
  
He walked past the front desk, where the secretaries nodded at him and smiled at Petunia.  
  
"Good afternoon, ladies," he said, nodding back.  
  
"Be careful, Andrew," one of the women warned.  
  
"Tom's in a horrible mood," the other added.  
  
"So you might want to keep your daughter away," they said together.  
  
Andrew groaned inwardly again.  
  
"Wonderful," he muttered.  
  
Tom Riddle was always in a horrible mood, it seemed. On the bottom of the Ministry and far too eager to get to the top quickly, no one really liked the guy. He seemed to just have a cold feeling around him at all times.  
  
"Daddy, why doesn't Tom like anyone?" Petunia asked, rather loudly, right as they were walking past Tom's desk.  
  
"Shh, Petunia," Andrew said quickly, but obviously not soon enough.  
  
Tom glared at them, his black eyes colder than ice. "Hello, Andrew," he said frostily.  
  
"Afternoon, Tom," Andrew said, as agreeably as he could manage. He hurried past Tom's desk and pulled Petunia after him, down a long hallway.  
  
"Daddy, where're we going?" Petunia asked.  
  
"You're just full of questions, aren't you?" Andrew said. He reached the end of the hallway. Directly in front of them was a door, with a sign on it that read "Magic Determining Department." Andrew breathed deeply, then pushed the door open.  
  
"Here goes," he thought.  
  
"Hello," a middle-aged witch, with dark hair pulled back into a bun, greeted them. "How may I help you?"  
  
"I was wondering if my daughter could be tested," Andrew said in a low voice, hoping Petunia wouldn't hear.  
  
Fortunately for him, Petunia had noticed a large toy chest in the corner and was gleefully exploring its contents.  
  
"You think she might not be a witch?" the woman asked, nodding. "I see. I'll need you to fill out some paperwork."  
  
"Of course," Andrew said. He glanced at the nametag on the woman's blouse - Dr. Martins. "Thank you, Doctor," he added.  
  
Dr. Martin crossed to a desk that was in the opposite corner from the toy chest and pulled open a drawer. She rifled through it, found what she was looking for, then pulled out a few papers and scanned each one. Deciding that they were the correct papers, she pulled a pen from her pocket and handed the pen and papers to Andrew.  
  
"Just fill these out and we'll be back in a jiffy," Dr. Martin said. "By the way, what's her name?"  
  
"Petunia," Andrew said, his eyes on the papers. He sat down in a chair and uncapped the pen and started filling them out quickly.  
  
"Petunia," Dr. Martin called. "Could you come with me?"  
  
Petunia looked up, then back down at the toy chest, which she was reorganizing and not doing a very good job of it. She made a face.  
  
"Petunia," Andrew said warningly.  
  
Petunia stood up and stomped over to Dr. Martin. "What do you want?" she asked, not very agreeably.  
  
"I'm going to play some games with you," Dr. Martin answered, smiling down at her.  
  
"Okay," Petunia said, still not happy. "But I want to win all of them," she added.  
  
Dr. Martin laughed. "Maybe."  
  
She pushed another door open and led Petunia through it, into a plain white room, with a table and two chairs sitting in the middle of it.  
  
"You sit there," Dr. Martin instructed, pointing to one of the chairs. "I'll be right back." She disappeared through another door.  
  
Petunia sat down, looking cautiously around. She contemplated running out the door and to her father, but decided against it, fearing they would simply lock her in.  
  
Dr. Martin returned, holding a clipboard and a wand. Petunia squealed excitedly.  
  
"Can I make things go boom with your wand?" she asked, squirming with excitement.  
  
"You can try," Dr. Martin said. She handed Petunia the wand, which had fingerprints all over it, from previous uses.  
  
Petunia eagerly started waving the wand around. Nothing happened.  
  
"Try again," Dr. Martin urged. She watched carefully as Petunia scrunched up her face and waved the wand furiously.  
  
"Nothing's happening," Petunia complained, throwing the wand on the ground. She crossed her arms and stuck out her bottom lip.  
  
"Have you ever been able to make anything happen when you played with your mummy's wand, or your daddy's?" Dr. Martin asked.  
  
"No, but Lily has, and it isn't fair," Petunia said, trying to stick her bottom lip out farther.  
  
"Who's Lily?" Dr. Martin asked, writing something down on her clipboard.  
  
"She's my sister, and it isn't fair that she makes things go boom and I can't," Petunia said. She gave up on trying to pout farther and just stared angrily at the clipboard.  
  
"How old is Lily?"  
  
"Lily's three. I'm four, and Mummy says that no matter how old Lily gets, I'll always be older than her," Petunia bragged.  
  
"I see," Dr. Martin said. She wrote some more, then stood up. "Come on, we're done."  
  
"Do I get to staple things now?" Petunia asked, sliding out of the chair.  
  
Dr. Martin smiled. She'd heard about that story from Tom Riddle, who'd asked the Minister to fire Andrew because his daughter was a "nuisance."  
  
"No, dear, you don't get to staple things," she said, taking Petunia's hand.  
  
"Well?" Andrew asked, standing when he saw Dr. Martin and Petunia. He searched Dr. Martin's face for some clue about what had happened, but her face was expressionless.  
  
"Petunia, why don't you go play with the toys?" Dr. Martin suggested. "I need to talk with your father, and it's about grownup things."  
  
"Okay," Petunia said. "Grownup things are boring." She trotted over to the toy chest and started tearing it apart.  
  
"Mr. Evans, why don't you sit down," Dr. Martin began.  
  
Andrew interrupted her.  
  
"She's not a witch, is she," he said, more of a statement than a question. Dr. Martin shook her head. "I'm sorry, but it doesn't appear she has any magical blood in her," she said. 


	4. The Results

Disclaimer: need I say anything? Seriously though, do I really have to spend my precious time typing out a disclaimer? You guys (aka "the reader") should know what's mine and what's JK's. Seriously, I don't think I'm going to waste the time to type out what I own and what I don't. I mean, it's just time to spend writing the actual story part. You don't need to know that I own Andrew, Rose, Dr. Martin, and any other character you don't recognize, and that JK owns Lily, Petunia, Vernon, Tom Riddle, and whoever else she owns. Wait - I just said that I wasn't going to type it all out, and yet I did. Okay, so I lied. So what? Sue me. (Not seriously, I'm broke and can't even afford lunch, let alone a lawyer)  
  
Andrew's mind was racing. How was he supposed to tell Rose? What would they do about it? Obviously Petunia was already jealous of Lily; wouldn't Petunia's being a Squib make her even more jealous? Should they have Lily tested to see if she was a Squib as well? If Lily weren't a Squib, what would they tell Petunia?  
  
"Daddy, what's wrong?" Petunia asked as he fastened her into her carseat again.  
  
"Nothing, sweetie. Daddy just got some very disappointing news," Andrew said, impulsively leaning down and kissing his daughter's forehead. She was going to be going through some tough times in her life, if they let her know that she was a Squib.  
  
"I love you, Daddy," Petunia said.  
  
"I love you too, sweetie."  
  
  
  
"Andrew? Petunia? Is that you?" Rose asked anxiously, coming out of the kitchen. Lily followed her, holding Petunia's blanket.  
  
"It's us," Andrew said wearily.  
  
"Mummy! I got to play with a wand, but I couldn't make anything go boom," Petunia said, excited about the wand, but sounding disappointed when she told her mother about making things explode.  
  
"Really, sweetie?" Rose said, her eyes on Andrew.  
  
"Petunia, why don't you go upstairs with Lily and play," Andrew suggested. Petunia and Lily both took off up the stairs.  
  
"Andrew? Is she?" Rose asked, a worried/frightened expression on her face.  
  
"She's a Squib," Andrew confirmed. He watched his wife sadly.  
  
Rose twisted away from her husband, crying. He wrapped his arms around her.  
  
"It's all right, darling, we'll figure something out," he told her.  
  
"What are we going to do?" Rose asked between sobs.  
  
"I don't know yet," Andrew replied. "But we'll figure something out."  
  
They ended up moving away from their cozy little home to a new part of town, called Godric's Hollow. It was a quieter town than their old one, and Rose thought that maybe it was more of a Muggle population, so that the girls would grow up around nonmagic people.  
  
"Do you think they'll remember anything about magic?" Rose asked her husband in a whisper.  
  
"I don't know," Andrew answered honestly. If they did, he didn't know what they'd do.  
  
Rather than go back to the Ministry and see if Lily was a witch or not, they decided to just raise her as a Muggle, and if she got accepted to Hogwarts, she'd attend the school.  
  
Andrew had taken a job as a teacher at the local secondary school, teaching mathematics. Rose had decided to stay at home with the girls, learning to get accustomed to living life as Muggles. It would be tough, she thought, but she knew she had to do it, or have her daughter suffer the pain of being completely different from her sister, mother, and her father.  
  
"Are you all right?" Andrew asked Rose, coming up behind her where she stood on the stoop, watching the sun set behind the nearby trees.  
  
Rose nodded, unable to speak. I don't know if I'll ever be all right, though, she thought.  
  
"Lily and Petty are in their new rooms," he said, even though she hadn't asked where they were. "They're both amazed that they get their own rooms."  
  
Rose laughed, a little bitterly.  
  
"They liked sharing a room," she said, blinking back tears.  
  
"Rose, there's nothing we can do about Petunia being a Squib," Andrew said desperately. "Please, just be happy that we have two healthy daughters!"  
  
"I just wish they could be witches!" Rose said, starting to cry again. "I always pitied my best friends' sister. You know, Maybelle's sister. She was a Squib. But I never really thought about what she must've gone through, and what her parents must've gone through. But now I know!"  
  
"Sweetheart, it's all right. We'll find a way to raise them. Maybe someday they'll invent something that can help Squibs. Maybe Petty'll be a witch someday," Andrew said, inventing as he went.  
  
"You really think so?" Rose asked, readily accepting his theory.  
  
"I really think so," Andrew confirmed.  
  
Rose sighed. "I just don't want Petunia to feel like she's left out," she explained.  
  
"I don't think Petunia will feel left out. I think she'll be one of the most popular girls in her school," Andrew predicted.  
  
"That'd be nice, if they both were," Rose agreed.  
  
  
  
Little did they know, their older daughter would not be one of the most popular girls at school. Lily would achieve this status, but her older sister would be classified as "the snob" and "Miss Perfect." Little did they know...... 


	5. Poor Petunia and Entrance of James

Disclaimer: Pearl's a singer, she stands up while she plays the piano her job is entertaining folks singing songs and telling jokes in a nightclub! Don't worry, eventually I'll run out of songs and you won't be put through such torture, anyone who's reading this. It's going to be quite a while, though. Just so you know. Because I'm a choir student, so I know LOTS of songs. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!! (I love evil laughs. They're so much fun. Anyway, getting to the actual story now)  
  
Petunia stormed into the kitchen angrily, flinging her bookbag into a chair. Rose looked up from where she had been sitting at the table.  
  
"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" she asked, her forehead creasing with worry.  
  
"Nothing, Mum, only that the cheerleaders don't want me," Petunia snapped. "Other than that, everything's wonderful," she added sarcastically.  
  
Lily walked in behind Petunia, carefully setting her bookbag down on the table.  
  
"Petunia's upset because she didn't make the cheerleading squad," Lily explained to their mother. "And, she didn't make the school play, or the choir, or anything else that she tried out for."  
  
"I'm sorry, Petty," Rose said, reaching over to hug her older daughter. "You're only eleven. And it's the end of the year. Things are bound to be a bit hectic. Maybe you should just focus on doing well in school," she added.  
  
"Then how come, if things are so 'hectic,' Lily made the cheerleading squad, the play, the choir, and everything else that she tried out for?" Petunia demanded. "And don't call me Petty. That nickname is sooo old."  
  
"Sweetie, Daddy called you Petty this morning and you didn't say a thing," Rose said, looking hurt.  
  
"Daddy's different," Petunia said, not meeting her mother's eyes. Rose sighed and left the kitchen, knowing that Petunia's mood would last the whole afternoon.  
  
"Petunia, I was just one of the last girls to try out for everything, so they remembered more about me than they did you," Lily said tactfully.  
  
Petunia refused to accept this, though.  
  
"I'm sure they just thought I was much too good to be in anything with them," she said snootily. "I mean, I'm obviously the best cheerleader there is, and I know I have a better singing voice than you, and I can act better than you can."  
  
Lily sighed, not knowing what to say. She didn't want to hurt her sister's feelings, and she knew that her parents would ground her for life if she did manage to hurt Petunia's feelings somehow. Her parents had always been extremely sensitive about Petunia. Lily figured that was why they had moved away from their old neighborhood and that horrid Vernon Dursley. He had lived across the street from them and had loved to torment Petunia and Lily, smashing their mud pies, pulling their hair, and the regular things that four-year-old bullies did.  
  
"Petunia, you can believe whatever you want," Lily said patiently. "But maybe I really did better than you did."  
  
Petunia sniffed haughtily and stalked out of the room. Lily sank into a chair, feeling like she could cry. The day had not gone well, despite becoming one of the cheerleaders, making it into the choir, and getting the lead part in the play. On the way home from school, Petunia had told Lily that since she hadn't made anything she'd tried out for, Lily shouldn't be able to do any of the clubs or activities.  
  
At that moment, Andrew walked in from the living room. In the past years, his hair had become streaked with gray, and there were worry lines on his forehead, much like the ones on Rose's forehead.  
  
"Hi, sweetie," he said, putting his briefcase on the table next to Lily's bag.  
  
"Hi, Daddy," Lily replied, standing and kissing his cheek.  
  
"Well, I'm glad to see that one of my little girls isn't too big to kiss her father," Andrew said, somewhat sarcastically. Nevertheless, he hugged Lily and sat down at the table. "Petunia's upset over something, I see," he said.  
  
"She's mad because I made everything I tried out for and she didn't," Lily said, her green eyes sad. "She says that I shouldn't be allowed to do any of them, just because she didn't make it. That's not fair, though!"  
  
Andrew sighed. He loved both his daughters equally, but it seemed like Petunia was becoming more and more of a snob each day.  
  
"Sweetie, you can do whatever it is you got into, as long as it doesn't interfere with your schoolwork," Andrew promised.  
  
"Thank you, Daddy," Lily said, kissing his forehead, grabbing her bookbag, and going up the stairs into her room.  
  
Andrew waited till she was out of the kitchen before tipping his head back and sighing.  
  
"What I wouldn't give to have them as witches," he said sadly.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, Petunia was in the living room, in the middle of a row with her mother.  
  
"Mother, I don't see why you won't let me wear makeup!" she yelled. "Milly does!"  
  
Rose used the ever-popular response. "If Milly jumped off a cliff, would you jump off?" she retorted.  
  
Petunia gave her a look like she was crazy.  
  
"If all the other girls did, too, then yes I would!" she shouted.  
  
"Lily doesn't wear makeup, why do you have to? You're beautiful just the way you are," Rose said, somewhat calmer.  
  
"Lily, shmilly! I hate hearing all about Lily!" Petunia screamed. "She gets everything, and I have nothing!"  
  
"What do you mean, you have nothing?" Rose demanded. "Who's the one who always makes Lily drop out of everything that she wants to do, simply because you didn't make it?"  
  
"Well, if they don't want me to do anything, why would the want Lily?" Petunia retorted. "I mean, why's she so much better than I am?"  
  
"Petunia, we are NOT having this discussion!" Rose said. In her voice was that tone that usually says "If you say so much as one more word, you're grounded for the rest of your life."  
  
"Aaagh!" Petunia let out a yell and stormed up the stairs, two at a time. She slammed the door to her room.  
  
Lily, whose room was right next to Petunia's, heard the picture on her wall rattle when Petunia's door made the whole house shake. She sighed, and rolled over on her bed, gazing about her room. Her pet, a small black cat with white paws, blinked at her from the top of her dresser, where she'd been sleeping. Until Petunia slammed her door and woke the cat up.  
  
"You know what, Snitch?" she said absentmindedly.  
  
She'd named the cat Snitch after the first day when she'd brought her home, and her father had said "That thing doesn't look much bigger than a snitch!" When Lily had asked Andrew what a snitch was, he clammed up and said it was nothing.  
  
"Snitch, I wish there was such a thing as magic. I really do. Then, maybe, just maybe, I could magically make my family get along better."  
  
Rose, who was walking down the hallway outside their rooms at the moment, heard Lily talking to her cat and stopped abruptly outside Lily's door.  
  
"Mum, is that you?" Lily called, hearing the footsteps stop.  
  
"Yes, sweetie, it's me," Rose said, pushing Lily's door open a smidge. (I love that word; it's so funny-sounding.)  
  
"Is something wrong? You sound upset," Lily asked, concerned.  
  
"Nothing's wrong, sweetie," Rose lied. She was sure she'd heard Lily say something about magic. "I just heard you say something, and I thought maybe you had called out to me, or something," she said weakly.  
  
"I was talking to Snitch about how I wish there was magic," Lily explained, pushing her long red hair out of her face.  
  
"Oh...I see," Rose said. "I love you, Lily," she added, closing the door. She sank to the floor, right there in the hallway, and wept.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, in a small town on the other side of London...  
  
"Mum, I'm home!"  
  
"Is that you, Jimmy?"  
  
"Yes, Michelle, it's me! And don't call me Jimmy!"  
  
A tall, thin boy with extremely messy black hair walked into the living room of the small, three-bedroom house. A short, skinny girl with long brown hair and green eyes appeared from the hallway.  
  
"Mum's in the kitchen," she whispered in reply to the boy's unanswered question.  
  
"Thanks, Michelle," the boy answered. He started toward the kitchen but was immediately pulled back by Michelle.  
  
"She's talking to Dad," she said, still in a hushed voice.  
  
"Dad's here?"  
  
"Yes. Dad's furious, Mum's crying, everything's a mess," Michelle said, watching her brother hopelessly. "James, what are we going to do?"  
  
James put his hands on his face, sighing angrily. "Why does he have to come and mess everything up?" he asked the ceiling.  
  
"James, go in there and get him out of here, please," Michelle begged. As much as James despised his perfect little sister sometimes, he couldn't help reaching out and hugging her tightly.  
  
"Don't worry, Chelle. He's not going to get anything from Mum this time," he said fiercely.  
  
"Be careful, James," Michelle warned, backing away.  
  
James stalked into the kitchen. His father, a tall man with brown hair that was streaked with gray and green eyes, was standing at the head of the table, hurling obscenities at his ex-wife.  
  
"What are you doing here?" James spat at him.  
  
"I'm getting what I deserve!" his father yelled back, his words slightly slurred.  
  
"You're drunk," James said, disgusted. He put an arm around his mother, a frail woman with long black hair and brown eyes. "Mother, go into the living room. Chelle's in there. She'll take care of you," he said softly.  
  
"Your mother's staying right here!" his father said, reaching out and roughly shoving James.  
  
"Jonathan, don't!" his mother cried out.  
  
James picked himself up off the floor.  
  
"Haven't you done enough damage to this family?" he demanded. "You left us five years ago. Mum had to take two jobs, just to keep me and Michelle in school! Then, you come back and say you want the house. So we moved. Then, you want the car. So we gave you that and used the bus. Now, what the hell do you want?" he shouted, standing in front of his mother.  
  
Jack wavered slightly, his eyes glazed. "I....need money," he stammered, looking right past his son. "Kathleen, give me the money."  
  
James had had enough. He crossed to his father and pushed him backward slightly. Jonathan took a step back, unsure what was happening. James pushed him again, and Jonathan took another step back. This went on till James had succeeded in pushing his father out the door and down the sidewalk.  
  
"Go. Home." James said through gritted teeth. He left his father standing there, looking as drunk as can be. He locked the door behind him.  
  
"I'm sorry, Mum," James said, crouching besides her where she sat at the table. Michelle, who had come in while James was getting rid of their father, was standing on Kathleen's other side.  
  
"I'm so sorry, children," she said, inbetween sobs. "I had no idea he was coming over, otherwise I would've locked the door."  
  
"Don't worry about it, Mum," Michelle said.  
  
"We'll be fine," James added.  
  
"I just keep thinking that this is too much for a nine-year-old and an eleven-year-old to be going through," she continued as if she hadn't heard them.  
  
"Don't worry, Mother. Maybe Grandmother will let you move in with her, once I'm at Hogwarts," James said, desperately hoping he was right.  
  
"I don't know, James," Kathleen said. She put an arm around both of them. "What am I doing, sitting here crying, when my wonderful children are probably starving?" she said, trying to smile.  
  
"I'll start getting something ready for dinner," Michelle volunteered.  
  
"How was school, Jimmy?" Kathleen asked her son. She stood up, still about an inch shorter than her son.  
  
"It was fun, Mum," James answered. "Basketball practice went really well, too. We did shooting drills and I was the best."  
  
"Show-off," Michelle muttered.  
  
"Michelle," Kathleen admonished.  
  
"I'm teasing," Michelle said, opening her eyes as wide as they would go.  
  
"James, I'm so proud of you, being able to handle taking care of your sister and me, and doing well in school, and doing sports as well," Kathleen said fondly.  
  
"Yeah, well," James said, trying not to look too pleased.  
  
"No, ever since your father left us, you've done a wonderful job of stepping in and being the man of the family," Kathleen said. "You're going to make some girl a wonderful husband."  
  
"Ugh, James married? I feel sorry for the poor girl already!" Michelle said, shuddering.  
  
"Thanks, Mum," James said quietly. In his heart, he was worried. What if he turned out to be exactly like his father, who couldn't hold a job to save his life? He hoped that whoever he ended up with, he didn't treat her as bad as his father treated his mother.  
  
A/N: Sorry the chapters are so short. I'm kinda grounded from the computer as of right now (yes, my punishment increased, Michelle, it's no longer just the HP site but the whole frickin computer unless it's homework) so I have to keep them kinda short, so it looks more like I'm doing homework. I really am sorry, people. 


	6. Two Very Different Reactions

Disclaimer: oh bad...writer's block...NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING STUPID TO PUT FOR THE DISCLAIMER!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'M RUINED!! Just kidding. *starts singing at the top of her lungs* DANCE A CACHUCA FANDANGO BOLERO XERES WE'LL DRINK MANZANILLA MONTERO LOVE WHEN IT RUNS IN ABUNDANCE ENHANCES THE RECKLESS DELIGHT OF THAT WILDEST OF DANCES ok, I'll shut up now before Michelle kills me.  
  
It was the middle of July - summer holidays. Lily woke up early, and went down the stairs as silently as she could manage. She could never remember which stair it was that squeaked, and she didn't want to wake up her mother.  
  
For as long as Lily could remember, she had loved getting up early, unlike Petunia. Petunia was fond of sleeping in as late as she could get away with. Lily loved the time before everyone else was up. She had it to herself.  
  
She crept into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of orange juice, then snuck out the door and sat on the stoop, watching the sun peak over the hills in the distance. She sipped her orange juice slowly, thinking about the day to come. She was sure that Petunia would wake in a horrible mood, and that their mother would seem just as uptight, and their father just as worried. For some reason, as her eleventh birthday approached, her parents became more and more worried.  
  
The sun had fully risen by the time she finished her orange juice, so Lily went back inside. She rinsed out her glass and put it on the drain board, then went into the living room and sat down on the couch.  
  
"Why are you up so early?"  
  
Lily looked up.  
  
"Good morning, Daddy," she said, smiling and going over to him. She hugged him and kissed his cheek.  
  
"Sweetie, would you do me a favor and go start the coffee?" Andrew asked.  
  
"Sure, Daddy," Lily said. She scampered into the kitchen.  
  
Andrew was sitting in the living room with Lily, reading the newspaper, when Rose came downstairs, wearing her bathrobe.  
  
"Good morning," she said cheerfully. She went into the kitchen and came back with a cup of coffee in her hand. "Did you sleep well, Lily Rose?"  
  
"Yes, Mum," Lily replied.  
  
They sat in the living room for about half an hour, talking quietly so they didn't wake Petunia up. When the click of the mail coming through the slot came, Lily volunteered to go get it.  
  
She had just picked up the letters when she heard a high-pitched shriek coming from upstairs.  
  
"MUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DADDY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HELP MEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
"Petunia!" Lily gasped, dropping the letters. She heard someone going down the stairs with a speed that rivaled lightning and dashing into the living room.  
  
"Mummy, help me!!!! There's a huge thing in my room!" Petunia wailed.  
  
Lily ran into the living room to see Petunia crouching behind Andrew and Rose looking from Petunia to Andrew with a terrified look on her face.  
  
Andrew unplugged the lamp that sat on the table besides the couch.  
  
"I'll go see what it is," he said, striding out of the room and up the stairs. Lily followed him cautiously, wanting to know what it was that scared Petunia so.  
  
"Lily, be careful," Petunia said, in a rare moment of kindness toward her younger sister. "Don't get hurt!"  
  
"I won't, Petty," Lily said in a hushed tone.  
  
Andrew pushed open Petunia's door and walked in, brandishing his lamp. Lily crept in behind him, hoping the thing wouldn't attack her.  
  
"Oh...my...ROSE!" Andrew shouted.  
  
"Daddy, what is it?" Lily asked, peeking around her father. Sitting on Petunia's bed was a large, feathered creature, holding something in its beak.  
  
It was an owl.  
  
Rose ran up the stairs, followed closely by Petunia.  
  
"Andrew, what's wrong?" Rose demanded.  
  
Andrew pointed, wordlessly, at the owl. He had a strange expression on his face - a combination of fear, excitement, sadness, and wonderment.  
  
"Daddy, why is there an owl on Petunia's bed?" Lily asked, a puzzled expression on her face.  
  
Rose stopped short in the doorway, causing Petunia to smash into her.  
  
"Mum, look out!" Petunia complained.  
  
Rose made no reply, just stared at the owl with much the same expression as her husband, only with one more thing showing on her face - hope.  
  
"Mum?" Lily said tentatively.  
  
Her mother didn't answer, just crossed to the owl and took the thing out of its beak.  
  
"I'm sorry, we don't have the money to pay you," Rose said to the owl, which blinked and soared out the window.  
  
"Mum, you're talking to a giant bird," Petunia said, inching away from them all like they were something dangerous.  
  
"It's an owl, Petunia," Andrew said sharply. His face relaxed and he took the object from his wife. Lily saw that it was a letter, on some sort of parchment.  
  
"What is it, Daddy?" she asked, stepping toward her parents.  
  
Her father turned over the letter, looking at the back. Lily could see something written on the front, in green ink that was the same color as her eyes.  
  
"It has the seal," Andrew whispered, staring at the letter.  
  
"Which one of them is it for?" Rose asked softly. "Please, if only it could be for both of them..." she trailed off.  
  
"Mum, Dad, what are you talking about?" Petunia demanded.  
  
Ignoring her, Andrew flipped over the letter. He read to who it was addressed, his eyes growing wide.  
  
"Lily."  
  
"What, Daddy?"  
  
"It's for you."  
  
With shaking hands, Lily reached out and took the envelope, a sense of fear and excitement filling her. She opened it cautiously, not wanting to rip it. Inside the envelope was another piece of parchment, which she pulled out and unfolded.  
  
"Dear Ms. Evans," she read. "We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."  
  
She looked up at her mother, who was crying. Andrew put his arms around her and held her.  
  
"See, Rose? Lily's a witch!" he said, his eyes both happy and sad at the same time.  
  
"I'm a witch," Lily said, a disbelieving expression on her face.  
  
"She's a witch?" Petunia said, a look of utter revulsion on her face. "I knew it! I always knew there was something - batty - about her!"  
  
"Don't insult your sister!" Andrew yelled, holding Rose closer.  
  
"Daddy...Mum...I don't understand," Lily said desperately. "How can I be a witch?  
  
"I think we should go sit down and tell you girls everything," Rose said, wiping away her tears.  
  
"Yes, I think we need an explanation," Petunia snapped.  
  
"Come on, everyone. I'll make hot chocolate and we'll talk everything over," Rose said briskly, taking charge once more.  
  
Once everyone was downstairs and in the living room with a cup of hot chocolate, Rose started explaining.  
  
"I think the first thing you need to know is that I'm a witch and your father is a wizard," she said, taking a deep breath.  
  
"WHAT?" Petunia yelled. "You mean, you're freaks as well?" She seemed horrified.  
  
"We are NOT freaks, Petunia," Andrew said sternly.  
  
"No, we most certainly are not freaks," Rose said, looking at her older daughter with troubled eyes.  
  
"Why are you looking at me like I'm the one that's the freak?" Petunia demanded.  
  
"Because, dear," Rose said gently. "In our world, you would be the 'freak.' But you aren't a freak, sweetheart, you're just different," Rose said quickly.  
  
"How am I so different from you? Because I'm not a witch, that makes me a freak?" Petunia shrieked.  
  
"To some people, yes, it does!" Andrew said. "Now, if you can't sit down and talk about this like the reasonable twelve-year-old we thought you were, go to your room!"  
  
Petunia sat back sullenly.  
  
"I don't get it, Mum," Lily said, speaking for the first time. "How come you never told us that you were magical?"  
  
Rose sighed.  
  
"It begins, I guess, when you were three and Petty was four. We had Petty tested because we had suspicions that she was a Squib - a nonmagical person that was born into a wizarding family," she added, seeing Petunia's and Lily's blank looks. "It turned out she was. In order to not make her feel...left out, we decided to raise the two of you as Muggles. Muggles are plain, nonmagic people."  
  
"I wish that this were easier to understand," Lily said, an overwhelmed look on her face.  
  
"I'm sorry, sweetie. I know it's a lot to be hit with at one time," Andrew said sympathetically.  
  
"What about me? You think this isn't hard for me to understand?" Petunia demanded, tears coming to her eyes.  
  
"I know it's hard for both of you to understand," Andrew said. "It's just...Lily's the one that's going to have to be dealing with magic as a part of everyday life pretty soon."  
  
"So you mean that you three are all going to be using magic all the time now?" Petunia asked, her eyes widening. "Even when my friends are around?"  
  
"No, we aren't," Rose said gently. "I think we'll continue living the way we are. I can't promise that we won't use magic once in a while, now that both of you know, but we most definitely will not use it when you have friends over."  
  
Petunia's eyes returned to their normal squinty size. "I still think Lily's a freak, and you and Dad are too!"  
  
"We are not freaks," Andrew said, clearly losing his patience. "Please stop referring to your mother, sister, and I as freaks!"  
  
Petunia sat back, sulking.  
  
"But I don't understand why I got this letter," Lily said, looking up from the letter.  
  
"You got it because you were accepted at the wizard school," Rose said, her eyes lighting up. "It's a wonderful place - a huge castle, with gorgeous grounds and the best teachers there are!"  
  
"You'll be with other witches and wizards, learning how to cast spells and make potions, and the history of magic," Andrew said, clearly reminiscing about his days at Hogwarts.  
  
"And I'll be stuck going to the public school still," Petunia said, glaring at her family."  
  
"Yes, you'll still be attending Stonewall," Rose said. "But it's a wonderful school," she added. "Petunia, we don't want anything to change drastically. Just because your sister is a witch, it doesn't mean that your whole life has to be turned upside down."  
  
But it will, Petunia thought. It will.  
  
Little did she know that her life would be turned upside down, but it wouldn't happen for ten years...  
  
Meanwhile, on the other side of town...  
  
"Mail, Mum!"  
  
"Thank you, Chelle! Put it on the table!"  
  
"Okay!"  
  
Michelle Potter crossed to the table and set the different letters on the table. She heard a soft whooo behind her.  
  
"Go on, all of you," she said to the four owls that were sitting on the kitchen counter. "Shoo, we don't pay you, your owners do."  
  
The owls flew out the open door, disappearing into the hazy morning sky. Michelle turned around and looked through the letters on the table.  
  
"Letter from Grammy, letter from Mum's friend, letter for James, and another letter for James," she said, disgusted. "Why don't I ever get mail?"  
  
"BOO!"  
  
"Eeeik! JAMES, you IDIOT!" Michelle shrieked. She attempted to kick him.  
  
James jumped back, laughing so hard he was nearly crying. "Scared you!"  
  
"I'm going to KILL YOU!" she shrieked.  
  
"Kids, calm down!" Kathleen yelled from the living room.  
  
"Mum, tell James to leave me alone!" Michelle yelled.  
  
"James, don't touch your sister!"  
  
"I didn't!" James grinned evilly at his sister. "I just...sort of...scared her."  
  
"James!" Kathleen stuck her head in the door. "Be nice to your sister!"  
  
"Yes, Mum," James said. He dropped into a chair and took one of his letters, opened it, and quickly read it. "Sirius got his letter from Hogwarts yesterday," he informed his mother and sister.  
  
"I'm sure you'll get yours any day now, dear," Kathleen reassured.  
  
"I'm not worried," James said, a little too quickly. "Did I get any other mail?"  
  
"Yes," Michelle said, throwing the other letter in his face.  
  
"Michelle," Kathleen said warningly.  
  
Michelle sighed. "Sorry," she muttered.  
  
"Yes!" James suddenly yelled. He jumped on top of his chair and started punching the air. "YES! Wooo hooo! I'm in!"  
  
"Is that from Hogwarts?" Kathleen asked, grabbing his sleeve and pulling him back into a sitting position.  
  
"You bet it is!" he said, grinning. "Can we go to Diagon Alley next week? That's when Sirius is going, and I'd like to meet up with him," he added.  
  
"What day is he going?" Kathleen asked.  
  
"Wednesday," James replied.  
  
"I don't see why not," Kathleen said. "And then maybe you could have Sirius come over for a while afterwards."  
  
"But Mum," Michelle whined. "Sirius is annoying!"  
  
"You are too, pesky," James said, rolling his eyes.  
  
"Mum!"  
  
"Cut it out, you two," Kathleen said, standing. "James, write Sirius and ask if he wants to come over afterwards on Wednesday."  
  
"Okay, Mum. Thanks," he added, kissing her cheek and running down the hallway to his bedroom. He could still be heard yelling "YES! I'm IN!"  
  
"Mum, can I go to Hogwarts?" Michelle asked, knowing what the reply would be but still asking.  
  
"Not till next year, sweetie," Kathleen said absently.  
  
"That's not fair," Michelle said, pouting.  
  
"Life isn't fair," Kathleen replied, hugging her daughter.  
  
"It sure isn't," Michelle agreed.  
  
Life really would be unfair to these two families, but for now, they were happy with their families. Their paths would soon cross, however, and stay crossed.  
  
  
  
A/N: Okay, okay, so my endings to the chapters are a little...well, weird. But it's the only way I can think of to end them!!! Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. It's a little longer than usual, but oh well. Please review!! 


	7. Diagon Alley

Disclaimer: Bumblebee bumblebee bumblebee bumblebee be a bumble be a bumble be a bumble bumblebee! Hee hee, that's one of our warm-ups for choir! Rose, Rose, Rose, Rose, will I ever see thee wed? I will marry at thy will, sire at thy will! Another warm-up! Round and round we go, we hold each other's hands and weave our lives in a circle our love is strong the dance goes on...and that's a round. Buh bye.  
  
"Mom, I still don't see how going through a pub is going to get us into this...Diagon Alley place," Lily said, a confused look on her face.  
  
"Don't worry about it, sweetie," Rose said over her shoulder. She turned to her husband, who was driving. "I just hope that the entrance hasn't changed," she said softly, so only he heard.  
  
"I don't think it has," he said just as quietly. "Don't worry about it. We'll figure it out, even if it has."  
  
"I hope Petunia's all right," Rose said anxiously. "Do you think she's all right? She just seemed to be taking all this so...negatively."  
  
"I think she'll get used to the idea after a while," Andrew said reassuringly. "Here we are!" He parked the car in front of a building with a huge "FOR RENT" sign hanging in the window. "Come on, let's go!"  
  
They all got out of the car. Lily stared apprehensively around.  
  
"Do you have your letter, Lily Rose?" Andrew asked cheerfully.  
  
"Yes," Lily said, holding up the slightly wrinkled parchment.  
  
"Good," Rose said. She took Lily's hand. "Lead the way, Andrew."  
  
Andrew walked down the sidewalk, examining the buildings closely.  
  
"What's he looking for, Mum?" Lily whispered.  
  
"He's looking for the pub," Rose told her.  
  
"Found it!" Andrew said jubilantly. He pointed to a small building, sandwiched in between two huge buildings.  
  
Lily raised one eyebrow skeptically. "That's it?"  
  
"This is it. Come on, let's go inside."  
  
Inside, the pub was dimly lit and quiet. Lily gazed around, her eyes wide and nervous.  
  
"What can I get for you?" A young man came out a door behind the counter, wiping his hands on an apron.  
  
"We're just going through to Diagon Alley," Andrew said. "Thank you anyway."  
  
"Can't say I've seen you here before. Is it your daughter's first year at Hogwarts, then?" the bartender asked. "Muggle-born, is she?"  
  
"Yes, it's Lily's first year, and no, she's a pureblood," Rose answered defensively.  
  
"Well, I've been working here the past five years, and I haven't seen you folks that whole time." He shrugged. "Entrance is out back."  
  
"Thank you, sir," Andrew said hurriedly.  
  
"Name's Tom," the bartender called after them.  
  
"Andrew," he replied. "Nice to meet you."  
  
"Same to you."  
  
Once they were outside again, Andrew relaxed a little bit. He pulled something out of his pocket - a long piece of wood with a handle on it.  
  
"Here goes. Let's see if I remember this." He started tapping bricks with the stick.  
  
Lily stared at the stick, trying hard to grasp the thin memory in the back of her mind.  
  
"Lily, are you all right?" Rose demanded, seeing Lily simply staring.  
  
"I'm fine, Mum," Lily replied. She finally figured it out. "That's a wand!"  
  
"Yes, it's my wand," Andrew said, putting it back into his pocket. "It's been a long time since I've used it."  
  
"I need one," Lily said, consulting her letter. "And I need robes, and books, and a cauldron, and potions supplies..." she trailed off. "How are we going to pay for all this? You said last night that the wizarding world used different sorts of money, and all we have is regular money."  
  
"Muggle money," Rose corrected her. "When we found out that Petunia was a Squib, we couldn't give up the hope that maybe, one day, you both would be witches, so we kept our vault at the bank."  
  
Lily's head was spinning. It was all so much to take in!  
  
They were coming out of the robe shop when Lily saw the boy - or rather, boys. Standing a few feet away from her were two boys that looked quite a bit alike. Both were tall, skinny, had black hair, and were both watching her interestedly. One had messier hair, glasses, and brown eyes, while the other had no glasses and blue eyes. There was a girl standing behind them, with green eyes and brown hair. She was tugging on the sleeve of a woman with black hair who looked like she was the mother of the boys.  
  
"Mum, James and Sirius are staring at girls," the girl was saying.  
  
"Don't worry about it, Michelle," the woman said.  
  
Lily stifled a giggled and turned away, following her parents down the street.  
  
By the end of the day, she had bought a wand, a cauldron, her schoolbooks, potions supplies, a telescope, and many other things that her parents had said she would need.  
  
"How about some ice cream?" Andrew suggested as they neared a sundae shop.  
  
"Sounds good to me," Lily said.  
  
"All right. I'll go in and get our ice cream," Andrew said. "You want vanilla, right, Lily?"  
  
Lily nodded. "Please."  
  
"And I know what Rose wants." Andrew hurried inside after setting all the packages down on a table.  
  
"Dear, would you mind sitting here by yourself while I run to the ladies room?" Rose asked. "There's nothing that can happen to you. You're in plain view of your father," she added, seeing Lily's apprehensive look.  
  
"Okay, Mum," Lily said. She sat in a chair and gazed around. A sudden movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she turned to see the same two boys watching her again. She bit back a smile. Some boys are such idiots, she thought.  
  
"Just go say something to her," Sirius hissed in James' ear.  
  
"I'll look like an idiot!" James hissed back.  
  
"Well, you both look like idiots, actually," Michelle commented. She looked around, to be sure that her mother was still talking with her friends. "That girl that you're staring at is watching you now."  
  
James and Sirius both turned to stare at the pretty redheaded girl that was sitting all by herself. Sure enough, she turned away quickly, as soon as she saw them looking at her. James was positive she was laughing at them.  
  
"Great," he said miserably. "Now she's laughing at us."  
  
"Just go say hi!" Sirius urged. "What's she going to do, curse you? No way! She can't be any older than us, which means that she won't know any curses, and even if she is older than us and knows curses, she can't use them because she's a student!"  
  
"Well, why don't you go talk to her then?" James retorted.  
  
"Because he wasn't the one walking around the whole day going 'Oh my God, that girl's sooo beautiful! I wish she'd talk to me!'" Michelle interrupted, doing a very good impression of her older brother.  
  
"She's got you there, man," Sirius said, laughing. "Just go!"  
  
Shaking her head in disgust, Michelle walked a ways away from them.  
  
"You can do it, James! You're James Potter, the most popular and athletic boy at your school!" Sirius encouraged him.  
  
"Yeah! I can do this!" James said, standing up straight. "I'll go talk to her!"  
  
He started walking toward her. He'd got close enough to call out to her and stopped, then turned around to look at Sirius, a nervous expression on his face.  
  
"Go!" Sirius mouthed.  
  
James nodded, and turned around again. He glanced up at the girl quickly. She was watching him, an amused expression on her face. He grinned at her and started walking again, not seeing Michelle's foot stuck right where he would trip over it. And trip he did, landing flat on his face in a mud puddle.  
  
"MICHELLE!" he yelled, standing up and wiping his glasses off.  
  
Michelle was doubled over, clutching her stomach and laughing her head off. James turned around to see Sirius cracking up as well, but trying to hold it in for the sake of his friend. He whirled around again, and saw that the pretty redhead had a disgusted look on her face.  
  
"Just like a jock," she said, loud enough for him to hear. Then, she turned away and wouldn't look back.  
  
"Michelle, I'm going to kill you!" James said.  
  
Michelle saw how furious her brother looked and immediately stopped laughing. She'd never seen him this angry before. "Gee, I'm sorry, Jimmy," she said, backing up. "It was only a joke."  
  
"Yeah, but it was a joke that made me look like the biggest prick ever in front of a girl I wanted to talk to!" James said, still madder than ever.  
  
"Look, James, I said I was sorry, all right?" Michelle said, backing up even farther.  
  
"Dude, James, cool it, all right?" Sirius said, standing in front of Michelle, who sighed with relief. "She was just kidding. Lay off on her!"  
  
James covered his face with his hands. "Just never, ever, EVER do that again, okay, Michelle?" he said through his hands.  
  
"I won't," Michelle promised.  
  
"All right. Is everyone calm now?" Sirius asked, not moving from in front of Michelle.  
  
"Yes," James replied, still with his hands on his face.  
  
"All right. Michelle, if James ever gets crazy like that, you just owl me, okay?" Sirius instructed. "Don't let him hurt you. You got that?"  
  
"Yes," Michelle said.  
  
"You think I'd hurt my sister?" James asked indignantly. "I never would!"  
  
"Yeah, but we don't want you turning into your father," Sirius said gently.  
  
"Yeah," Michelle said. "Here, James, you have mud all over you."  
  
She started wiping the mud off of James' shirt with a sisterly air. Lily, from her seat at the table, watched out of the corner of her eye with a smile. As much as she hated jocks, it was nice to see one of them not treating siblings like dirt.  
  
"Here you go, sweetie," Andrew said, appearing with the ice cream. Rose was right behind him.  
  
"Are you ready to go?" she asked Lily.  
  
"Yeah," Lily said, standing. She started picking up packages.  
  
They went through the pub again, then out onto the street and back home.  
  
"I suppose you bought all the things you need for your freak school?" Petunia sniffed angrily once their parents were out of sight.  
  
"It's not a freak school, Petunia," Lily said, sighing.  
  
"Oh, sure, it's not a freak school. It's only for people that are crazy, like you," Petunia said bitterly.  
  
"It is NOT," Lily said, finally giving in and getting mad. "You're just jealous and you know it!" she snapped. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she regretted it.  
  
Petunia reeled back as though she'd been slapped. "You...you..." she sputtered. She reached out and did slap Lily then, right across the face.  
  
Lily stumbled back, surprised and hurt.  
  
"What's going on in here?" Rose came running in, having heard the slap.  
  
"Petunia hit me," Lily said, feeling like she could cry.  
  
"Petunia?" Rose turned to her older daughter.  
  
Petunia simply stood there, tears in her eyes and a devastated expression on her face.  
  
"I'm sorry," she whispered. She turned, ran up the stairs to her room, slammed her door, and flung herself onto her bed, sobbing. "It isn't fair," she said between sobs. "I'm...the one that's the freak! And Lily gets to go to a special school, and be a witch, and I'm just a stupid, nonmagic freak!" She sobbed even harder.  
  
Downstairs, Lily was crying as well.  
  
"Why does everything have to be so messed up?" she asked her mother through her tears. "I don't want Petty to hate me!"  
  
"I don't know, sweetie," Rose said, hugging her daughter. "When Petty comes down again, I'm sure she'll apologize and then everything will be all right."  
  
But when Petunia came back downstairs, she refused to apologize. She had decided that if she had to live the rest of her life as a freak, she was going to be a tough freak that didn't take sh*t from anyone. After that afternoon, the two sisters slowly started to grow apart, insulting each other more and more, confiding in the other less and less. Petunia forced herself to believe that instead of being the freak herself, her family was the freaks. Lily made herself think that Petunia would never want to be best friends with her younger sister ever again. And slowly, they grew to hate even the sight of each other.  
  
A/N: ooo, Lily and Petunia are having some problems...James is having trouble impressing Lily...and Sirius is protecting Michelle! WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?? Sorry, just thought I'd say that. And before I get a review that says something about this, NO, I am NOT planning on having James turn abusive. It just worked out that I needed some way to show that Sirius is protective of Michelle Potter. Anyway, thank you for reading, please review!!! 


	8. Michelle is a Bad Child and the Ride to ...

Disclaimer: There's a song in me that runs through my head, it's a melody I'm humming! When I start to doubt, I sing it instead. Oh I hear it all day long! And I sing it when I'm feeling sad and I sing it when I'm happy! It's the kind of tune that makes me feel glad and I know I can't go wrong...  
  
"I can't believe I'm really going to go to Hogwarts," Lily said nervously in the car ride to King's Cross station. She stroked Snitch, who purred loudly.  
  
"You really are," Rose said, smiling proudly.  
  
"I'm so happy for my little Lily Rose," Andrew said affectionately.  
  
Petunia had chosen to stay home, rather than be seen with her "freak family," as she phrased it.  
  
"Here we are," Andrew said after some time. "Ready, Lily Rose?"  
  
Lily nodded, her stomach full of butterflies.  
  
Andrew parked the car and they all got out, Andrew pulling Lily's trunk. Lily was carrying Snitch, who was still purring loudly.  
  
"Mum," Lily said suddenly. "Mum."  
  
"What is it, Lily?" Rose asked, alarmed.  
  
"My ticket says Platform Nine and Three Quarters," Lily said.  
  
Rose smiled. "Yes, it does."  
  
"But there's no Platform Nine and Three Quarters," Lily said, not understanding why her mother was smiling.  
  
"Just wait," she instructed.  
  
Lily still didn't know how she was to get to Hogwarts, since there was no Platform Nine and Three Quarters. But she just held tightly to Snitch and followed her parents.  
  
"All right, now Rose, Lily, I'm going to go first," Andrew said suddenly.  
  
Lily looked up and saw they were standing in between platforms Nine and Ten.  
  
"Fine with me, Andrew," Rose replied. "Lily, watch carefully."  
  
"Yes, Mum," Lily said, her eyes on her father.  
  
Andrew started walking briskly toward the barrier between the two platforms. Just when Lily thought he was going to crash into the barrier, a tourist walked in front of them and - Andrew was gone.  
  
"Where'd he go?" Lily asked frantically. "Where is he??"  
  
"On Platform Nine and Three Quarters," Rose answered with another smile. "Come here."  
  
"I don't get it," Lily said, her brow furrowed. "He almost hit the barrier, and then he was just...gone!"  
  
"Lean up against the barrier," Rose said, standing right next to it.  
  
Lily did as she was told. Rose leaned on the barrier as well, glancing at the delicate watch on her wrist.  
  
"Don't be scared when we go through, Lil," she said. "Here, take my hand."  
  
"I won't be scared," Lily said. However, she took her mother's hand, just in case.  
  
Suddenly, Lily felt like she was falling. The sensation was over as quickly as it had come, and Lily opened her eyes to see a bright, crimson- colored steam engine sitting on the railroad tracks. Rose was standing right next to her, smiling and still holding her hand.  
  
"Where are we?" Lily demanded.  
  
"On Platform Nine and Three Quarters," Rose answered. She indicated for Lily to turn around. "Look, there's your father." Rose let go of Lily's hand and went over to her husband.  
  
Lily simply stood for a few seconds, stroking Snitch and gazing around with wonderment. "Snitch, I have a feeling our lives are going to be very different from now on," she said.  
  
Suddenly, she felt something - or someone - crash into her. She fell to the ground, Snitch escaping her arms and fleeing. Whatever it was that had hit her then fell on top of her.  
  
"Snitch!" Lily cried, trying to stand up but unable to because there was someone on her legs. "Get off!"  
  
"I'm so sorry!" the person said, standing immediately. "I didn't know there was anyone standing right there, otherwise I wouldn't have run through the barrier. I'm sorry!"  
  
Lily stood up and got a good look at the person that had fallen on her. It was the boy from Diagon Alley - the one that had fallen in the mud.  
  
"Oh, it's you," she said, rather frostily.  
  
"I'm James," he said, sticking out a hand.  
  
Lily didn't take it. "You scared my cat away, and you could've killed me!"  
  
"I'm sorry, truly I am. It was an accident," James said, with a hurt expression on his face. "I'd never hurt anyone intentionally! Which way did your cat go? I'll get her for you," he offered.  
  
Lily pointed. "She's black with white paws, and little," she described.  
  
James nodded and took off in the direction Lily pointed, mentally kicking himself for landing on top of the prettiest girl he'd ever seen.  
  
"I'm sorry about my brother," a girl's voice said from behind Lily. "He's an idiot."  
  
Lily turned around to see the girl that James had been with at Diagon Alley.  
  
"My name is Michelle Potter," the girl said, holding out her hand. Lily shook it. "My brother's name is James."  
  
"I'm Lily. I know his name, he told me," she said.  
  
At that second, James came back, holding Snitch tightly and barely out of breath.  
  
"I had to chase her around the whole platform, but I got her," he said, handing the cat back.  
  
"Thank you," Lily said, scratching Snitch's chin and smiling at James for the first time.  
  
James stood, dumbfounded and stupidly grinning back. Michelle rolled her eyes.  
  
"Come on, Jimmy, let's go," she said, tugging on his sleeve.  
  
"Uh, yeah, right, let's go," he said, pulling his arm away.  
  
"Bye," Lily said, walking over to her parents.  
  
"James, you are quite possibly the biggest idiot in the world," Michelle informed him.  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"Lily, I'd like you to meet Patrick and Lynnette Kirke," Rose said as Lily approached. "Lynnette was my best friend when I was in Hogwarts, and Patrick was Andrew's best friend."  
  
"Nice to meet you," Lily said politely.  
  
"It's nice to see you again," Lynnette said, smiling. She pushed her blonde hair out of her face. "Because we've met before."  
  
"We have?" Lily repeated.  
  
"Yes, before your parents decided to leave wizarding society," Patrick put in. "You and Petty were always over at our house, playing with Isabelle."  
  
"And Izzy was always at your house, playing with you two!" Lynnette said. "By the way, where's Izzy?"  
  
"She's putting her stuff on the train," Patrick said. "There she is. Isabelle!"  
  
A tall, thin girl with a halo of blonde curls hurried over to them. Lily noticed that she had already changed into her Hogwarts robes.  
  
"Hello," she said, smiling brightly.  
  
"Hi," Lily said, smiling as well. "I'm Lily Evans."  
  
"I know," Isabelle said, grinning even wider. "You were my best friend when I was little."  
  
"I heard," Lily said. "So..."  
  
"Do you think," Isabelle suddenly blurted. "Do you think we could be best friends again? I miss having a best friend, and we got along really well, my parents said."  
  
"Yeah, I think we could be best friends," Lily replied happily. She was relieved. She had been so worried about being a loner at Hogwarts, and now she had a friend to hang out with.  
  
"Come on, let's get your stuff on the train," Isabelle said. "By the way, call my Belle. Everyone does. Besides my parents, that is. They call me Izzy, but I don't like that nickname."  
  
"Okay," Lily said. "I don't really have a nickname. Some people call me Lil, so you could call me that, I guess," she added. "Daddy, could you put my trunk on the train?"  
  
"Yes, sweetie," Andrew said, tearing himself away from the dull, grown-up conversation that he had been having with Patrick, Lynnette, and Rose. All Lily heard them say was something about a Tom Riddle.  
  
Whoever the heck that is, Lily thought. Still, she couldn't help shuddering. The name just sent shivers down her spine.  
  
"Here, this is the compartment I'm sitting in," Isabelle said. She opened a door to a compartment and sat down.  
  
"Well, Lily Rose, I guess I'll be leaving you then," Andrew said, bending down and kissing her forehead. "Go say goodbye to your mum, okay?"  
  
"Be right back," Lily said to Belle. She ran out of the train and over to her mother, who she hugged tightly. "Mummy, I'm scared," she whispered.  
  
"You'll be fine, darling," Rose whispered back.  
  
Just then, a nearby student who looked to be at least fifteen yelled "Come on, everyone! Train's leaving!"  
  
Lily let go of her mother and ran up the steps onto the train.  
  
"Bye!" she called, leaning out the window and waving to her parents. "I'll write you as soon as I can!"  
  
"All right, sweetie!" Rose called back. "We love you!"  
  
Out of the corner of her eye, Lily saw James leaning out a window as well. He wasn't waving to his mother, however. He seemed to be shouting at her frantically.  
  
"Mum, I don't know where she is! I haven't seen her since she pulled me away from one of my friends!" he yelled.  
  
"I can't find her anywhere!" Kathleen shouted back. She looked as worried as could be. "She's not anywhere on the platform!"  
  
"I don't know where she could be!"  
  
Before his mother could reply, the train went around a corner and the whole platform disappeared from view.  
  
"Damn it!" James swore. He pulled his head back inside the train and ran down the corridor. When he saw Lily, he stopped abruptly. "You haven't seen my sister, have you?" he demanded.  
  
Lily stared at him like he was crazy. "No, I haven't."  
  
"Damn it, I think she snuck onto the train," he said, going past her. "See you later," he added over his shoulder.  
  
"Yeah, see you later," Lily said. She rolled her eyes and went into the compartment Belle was in. Except Belle wasn't the only one in the compartment.  
  
"Hello again," Michelle said. She was sitting across from Isabelle.  
  
"Hi," Lily said, giving Belle a questioning look.  
  
Belle just shrugged and mouthed "Don't ask me."  
  
"Your brother's looking for you," Lily said instead, to Michelle.  
  
"I know," Michelle said, rolling her eyes. "He doesn't know that I'm on the train."  
  
"Why are you on the train?" Belle asked. "I thought that you were younger than James."  
  
"You know my brother?" Michelle asked, raising her eyebrows.  
  
"Yeah, I went to school with him for a year," Belle explained.  
  
"Well, I'm sick of going to that school. I'm advanced enough I could be in the same year as James," Michelle told them.  
  
Lily raised her eyebrows at this, but said nothing. She sat next to Belle.  
  
"MICHELLE! Where are you???"  
  
"Uh oh, hide me," Michelle said, looking at the door with a terrified look on her face.  
  
Michelle quickly grabbed Belle's cloak, which was lying on the ground. She threw it over her head and scrunched up. "I'm luggage, okay?" she hissed.  
  
Their compartment door opened and James peeked in.  
  
"You haven't seen my sister, have you?" he asked tiredly. Lily wasn't sure, but she thought she could hear a hint of worry in his voice.  
  
"No, we haven't," Belle said, jerking her head toward Michelle, who was trying as hard as she could to stay still.  
  
"No, we haven't seen her at all," Lily said, pointing at Belle's cloak and nodding.  
  
James got the hint.  
  
"I see." He strode over to Michelle and yanked on one end of the cloak. "Michelle, what are you doing here?"  
  
"What do you care?" Michelle asked angrily, sitting up. "You were so busy talking with Sirius about how pretty Lily is that you didn't even notice me get on the train behind you!"  
  
Belle raised one eyebrow, looking at Lily. Lily rolled her eyes. James, however, blushed deeply.  
  
"Still, that's no excuse for you to sneak on the train!" he said, trying to be stern. Finally, he gave up. "Chelle, Mum and I were worried to death! We didn't know what'd happened to you!"  
  
"Sorry," Michelle said, crossing her arms and trying to stay angry. Her lower lip trembled. "Jimmy, do you think I'll get in trouble?"  
  
"I don't know, Chelle," James said, sitting next to her and putting his arm around her. Both Potters seemed unaware that Lily and Isabelle were even alive. "We'll see when we get to the castle."  
  
Someone standing at the door coughed loudly. All four people inside looked up. The boy that James had been with in Diagon Alley was standing there.  
  
"I see you found Chelle, James," he said, grinning. He went inside the compartment and made James move over, then sat down. "I don't believe we've met," he said to Belle and Lily.  
  
"Isabelle Kirke," Belle said, sticking out her hand and smiling. The boy shook her hand, then turned to Lily.  
  
"And you are?"  
  
"Lily Evans." Lily shook his outstretched hand.  
  
"Sirius Black. And this here is James Potter, in case you didn't know, and his sister, Michelle." Sirius poked James. "Did you talk to her?"  
  
"Yes, and don't poke me," James said irritably.  
  
Lily giggled, then quickly turned and pretended to have been staring out the window. Green countryside flashed by, trees, meadows, and even a lake or two before anyone said anything.  
  
"So..." Sirius said finally. "What house do you all think you'll be put in?"  
  
"I don't know, but I'm sure hoping that I get Gryffindor," Belle said emphatically.  
  
"Same here," James put in. "And I know you want Gryffindor, Sirius."  
  
"I don't even know what you're talking about," Lily said, looking from Belle to Sirius to James with a lost expression. Michelle quickly explained.  
  
"There are four different houses. When you get to Hogwarts, you will be sorted into a house, which you will be in for all your years at school. You attend classes with students that are in the same year and house as you. You also earn or lose points for your house," she added.  
  
"The four houses are Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin," James tacked on. "Anyone who's in Slytherin is usually evil at heart. Ravenclaws are the really smart kids, Hufflepuffs are - in my opinion - the ones that aren't really anything else, and Gryffindors are the brave students. Most students want to be in Gryffindor."  
  
"Really," Lily said, trying to imprint all that in her memory.  
  
"I don't want to be in Gryffindor," Michelle announced. "I'd rather be in Ravenclaw."  
  
"Good for you, Chelle," James said, resuming the 'my-little-sister-is-so- annoying' attitude. "As soon as we get to Hogwarts, you're going home. You do know that, right?"  
  
"Yes, I know," Michelle snapped, poking James' arm.  
  
"Oh, both of you, stop it," Sirius said, exasperated.  
  
Just then, a witch stuck her head in and glanced around.  
  
"Anything off the cart, children?" she asked.  
  
"No thanks," Belle said. "I'm not hungry."  
  
"Me either," Michelle and Lily chorused.  
  
Sirius and James both stood and went out into the corridor, buying as much food as they could afford.  
  
"So, it sounds like James Potter likes you, Lily," Belle said, grinning slyly.  
  
"He can like me all he wants, his affections won't be returned," Lily said simply. "I'm not interested in him. Or Sirius."  
  
"He thinks you're really pretty," Michelle informed Lily. "Both of them do, actually."  
  
Both boys came back in right as Michelle said "Both of them" and both immediately assumed that Michelle was talking about them.  
  
"What are you saying about me?" James demanded.  
  
"I hope it's nothing bad," Sirius said, winking at Lily. "I mean, I wouldn't want these two" Michelle glared at him "excuse me, these three lovely ladies to think anything bad about me."  
  
"Oh yeah, we were just talking about what horrible people you are," Michelle scoffed. "No, we weren't."  
  
"I know."  
  
Just then, the compartment door opened again, and in walked a thin boy with long, greasy black hair and cold black eyes.  
  
"Oh, hello, Severus," James said awkwardly. "Nice to see you again."  
  
The boy glared at James. "I see you're busy entertaining, as always," he sneered. His eyes landed on Michelle, who cringed and scooted closer to James. "What's your baby sister doing here?"  
  
"I'm not a baby!" Michelle objected.  
  
"She's not a baby!" James said at the same time.  
  
"I'm sure. Who are you?" Severus said to Lily and Belle, rather rudely, Lily thought.  
  
"I'm Lily Evans," Lily said coldly.  
  
"Isabelle Kirke," Belle said, just as coldly.  
  
Severus glared from one person to another, then turned around and left.  
  
"Well, that was fun," Belle remarked.  
  
James snorted. "Being around Severus is always loads of fun," he said sarcastically. "He knows more curses than anyone I've ever met, and says that he'd use them in a second if he had to."  
  
"He needs to shower more often, if you ask me," Sirius threw in. Lily looked over and saw he was pinching his nose. She laughed, relaxing a little.  
  
"I'd tell you to be nice, Sirius, but it's true," Michelle said. "He stinks."  
  
"And his hair is so greasy, you can see yourself in it," Belle added.  
  
James and Sirius laughed so hard they fell off their seats.  
  
"I can see it now - 'hey Severus, I lost my mirror, can I use your hair?'" he asked, mimicking a girl's voice.  
  
"Ooh! James, prank idea!" Sirius yelled, snapping his fingers.  
  
James' eyes lit up. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"  
  
"I think so!"  
  
"MARAUDERS STRIKE AGAIN!" they both yelled, high-fiving each other.  
  
"What are the Marauders?" Belle asked Michelle.  
  
Michelle rolled her eyes, sighing exasperatedly. "It's their gang of friends. They go around, pulling pranks. So far, there's a grand total of two Marauders."  
  
"We'll get a couple other guys," James said, suddenly realizing what the girls were talking about. "We only need two more."  
  
"And then I suppose you'll wander the halls, bringing terror to those you meet?" Lily scoffed.  
  
"No, we'll just pull pranks," Sirius said blankly.  
  
"And maybe bring terror to those we meet," James added. "More likely, though, Severus Snape will do that."  
  
"Yeah, probably," Belle giggled.  
  
They spent the next few hours talking, joking, and wondering about school. Finally, the compartment door opened and a teenage boy of about seventeen stuck his head in. "We'll be at Hogwarts in about ten minute's time," he informed them. "Change into your robes if you already haven't."  
  
"We will," the kids chorused.  
  
"All right, since Lily and I were in here first, you two have to leave," Belle said to Sirius and James. "Go on. Shoo."  
  
James and Sirius rolled their eyes, but left, taking their robes with them.  
  
Lily changed into her robes quickly, worrying about what she would do if Belle was in a different house.  
  
"Oh, Belle, I'm so nervous!" she said, biting her lip. "I just have this horrible feeling that we'll be separated, and that I'll be the worst student in the class, and that everyone will hate me!"  
  
"They won't," Belle said, hugging her friend. "And if we do get put in different houses, we'll just tell each other where the entrance to our house is and then meet each other, or something!"  
  
Michelle patted Lily on the back. "I just hope you don't get put in the same house as James," she said, her eyes laughing.  
  
"Can we come back in yet?" Sirius yelled.  
  
"Yes," Lily shouted back.  
  
The boys clambered into the compartment, dressed in their Hogwarts robes. There was a tentative knock on the door. Whoever was standing outside opened it slightly.  
  
"Can we come in here?" a boy asked. "Some of the older students kicked us out of our compartment."  
  
"Yeah, come right in," Belle said.  
  
The door opened fully and a thin boy with brown hair and eyes walked in, followed by a shorter, rather plump boy. Both were wearing their Hogwarts robes. The thin one looked around at them with interest, while the plump boy looked at them like they might hurt him.  
  
"Hi, I'm Remus Lupin," the thin boy said. "And this is Peter Pettigrew."  
  
"Hi," Peter mumbled.  
  
"I'm James Potter, and this is Sirius Black," James said, gesturing to Sirius. "And this is my sister Michelle."  
  
Michelle smiled, rather annoyed, it seemed to Lily. "I can introduce myself, thanks," she said to James under her breath.  
  
"And you are?" Remus asked, turning to Lily and Belle.  
  
"I'm Lily Evans," Lily said, smiling. Remus might not've been the best looking boy in their compartment, but his manners were the best, it seemed to Lily.  
  
"Isabelle Kirke. Call me Belle," Belle said, smiling a tiny smile and blushing ever-so-slightly.  
  
Lily giggled slightly. Belle gave her a dirty look. Lily stopped laughing in mid-giggle.  
  
"Pleasure to meet you," Remus said, laughing inwardly at how funny girls were sometimes.  
  
"Same to you," Lily said.  
  
"So, are you looking forward to being at Hogwarts, everyone?" Remus asked. "I think it's going to be awesome. I heard that the main prankster graduated last year."  
  
"Really?" Lily asked, not really interested.  
  
"Yeah. That's too bad, really," Remus said, a thoughtful expression on his face. "I would've liked to see what type of pranks he pulled. And I would've liked him to teach me some, too."  
  
James turned to Sirius. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he mouthed.  
  
"I think so," Sirius mouthed back.  
  
Lily, who saw them both and understood perfectly what they were saying, rolled her eyes and sighed.  
  
"What? Is something wrong?" Remus asked, seeing Lily's eye roll and sigh.  
  
"No, just that two are two of the biggest idiots in the world," she said, pointing at James and Sirius. The two pretended to be horrified.  
  
"What, us? Idiots? How could you?" Sirius moaned.  
  
"Never!" James added. Then: "Lily, I thought that you believed we were more than idiots."  
  
"You thought wrong, obviously."  
  
"You are idiots, and you know it," Michelle threw in.  
  
Just then, the train slowed to a stop.  
  
"Well, here goes," Remus said, smiling again. Lily thought she detected a hint of nervousness in his smile.  
  
Peter, who hadn't said anything the whole time he had been with them, gave a squeak and tripped on the hem of his robes. James, Sirius, and Remus helped him up.  
  
They got off the train and stepped out onto the platform. All the older students were milling around, shouting to one another and basically ignoring the first years. Suddenly, the group heard a voice calling over all the others.  
  
"Firs' years over here! Firs' years! Over here!"  
  
Looking around, Lily quickly saw who the speaker was - a man taller than any she'd ever seen before, with wild black hair and a beard. He was beckoning for all the first years to go over to him.  
  
"Come on, everyone," James said, also noticing the giant. "Let's go."  
  
A/N: Whew! That was a LOOOOOOOOONG chapter. Much longer than I usually do. Oh well, maybe it'll make you guys (aka "the readers") happy. Keep reading and reviewing! Especially reviewing. It makes me feel special when I get reviews. Hee hee, Michelle, you snuck on the train! You naughty child, you! I told you I'd put that in there. PLEASE, I BEG OF YOU, REVIEW!! OTHERWISE, I'LL...I'LL...okay, I don't know what I'll do. But PLEASE, review it! 


	9. The Sorting Ceremony

Disclaimer: Belle's mine, Michelle's...well, Michelle is Michelle's, Belle's parents are mine, and any new characters are mine. *Starts singing* Children, go where I send thee! Children, how shall I send thee? I'm gonna send thee one by one, one for the little bitty baby the baby boy, born in Bethlehem. Don't worry Michelle, I'll eventually shut up. Probably not for quite a while, but eventually I'll shut up. Oh yeah, the word yusky belongs to me and Michelle, since she came up with it and I put it in here. Lydian's mine, Miana's mine, Anne's mine. And the Anderson twins. And my books are mine, and my music for choir, and my Avril Lavigne CD, and my stupid ugly evil choir dress that deserves to be burnt. I own all that, too. That's all.  
  
Lily looked around nervously. She, Belle, James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, Michelle, and all the other first years were following the giant, whose name was Hagrid.  
  
"Round this bend, yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' the castle," he was saying as they walked.  
  
A murmur broke out among the students. All of them were curious as to what their home for the next seven years would look like.  
  
"Wow," Lily gasped as they rounded the bend.  
  
"I always heard that the castle looked beautiful, but no one ever told me it looked this...magical," Belle whispered to Lily.  
  
"I know. It makes me wish we lived in the old days, when people lived in castles, not houses," Lily whispered back.  
  
"Right then, no more'n four to a boat," Hagrid said and Lily and Belle were jolted back to the real world.  
  
Lily and Belle climbed into a boat, followed by a boy and a girl that looked very much alike, with brown hair and blue eyes. They introduced themselves as Alyssa and Adam Anderson.  
  
"Our middle names begin with 'a', too," Alyssa said, giggling. "It's annoying."  
  
"Really? What's your middle name?" Belle asked.  
  
"Mine's Anne," Alyssa replied.  
  
"My middle name is Adam," Adam replied. Seeing the confused looks on Belle's and Lily's faces, he laughed. "My first name is really Anthony, but I hated being called Tony, so I started going by Adam. And if you call me Anthony or Tony, I will NOT answer," he warned.  
  
"I'll try to remember that," Lily said.  
  
The boats reached the other side of the lake and everyone climbed out.  
  
Hagrid left them in the entrance hall, telling them that a professor would be there shortly. Sure enough, a witch wearing emerald green robes entered almost as soon as he had gone through a side door.  
  
"In a few moments, you will pass through these doors and into the Great Hall," she began. "You will then be sorted into different houses." She went on to say almost exactly what James, Michelle, and the others had told Lily on the train, except that she didn't make Slytherin sound bad. When she finished, she turned as if to leave, but a boy's voice stopped her.  
  
"Uh, Professor?"  
  
Everyone started looking around to see who had called out. It was James Potter, standing next to his sister protectively.  
  
"Yes?" the woman answered, looking at him severely through her square spectacles.  
  
"Um, could I speak to you privately?" James asked awkwardly.  
  
"I'm afraid not," the woman said. "We are rather pressed for time."  
  
"Well, um, my sister was saying good bye to me, and the train left Platform Nine and Three Quarters before she could get off," James invented. Michelle silently thanked him for not telling the truth.  
  
"And you want to know what to do with her?" the woman questioned.  
  
James nodded. Michelle fidgeted silently, standing as close to her brother as she could without standing on his feet.  
  
"I see," the witch said. "Well, come with me, child."  
  
"Both of us?" James asked.  
  
"No, just your sister," the woman said. "Come along."  
  
Michelle gave her brother a terrified look. Lily, seeing that Michelle was scared to death that she would get in trouble, hurried over to her.  
  
"Just go with her," she said under her breath. "Nothing bad is going to happen. You'll be okay."  
  
Michelle nodded, still terrified, and walked alongside the woman down a corridor.  
  
"Where are we going?" she ventured to ask.  
  
"To my office, to write your parents a letter explaining that you will be sent back on the train as soon as possible," the woman said kindly.  
  
"My parents aren't together anymore," Michelle said sadly. "I live with my mum."  
  
"I see. You are a witch, I presume?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"All right."  
  
They reached a door at the end of a corridor, with a small plaque on it that read "Professor M. McGonagall".  
  
"Is that you?" Michelle asked, reading the plaque.  
  
"Yes, this is my office."  
  
McGonagall opened the door and ushered Michelle in. Michelle sat down in a chair in front of a desk that was strewn with quills, pieces of parchment, and books. McGonagall sat behind the desk and picked up a fresh piece of parchment.  
  
"What is your mother's name?" she asked, dipping a quill into an inkwell.  
  
"Kathleen Potter," Michelle replied.  
  
"And yours?"  
  
"Michelle Potter."  
  
McGonagall began to write quickly, her quill making little scratching noises. She stuffed the parchment into an envelope, then sealed it with wax on the back.  
  
"I will take this to the Owlery after the Sorting Ceremony," she informed Michelle. She pulled out her wand, flicked it once, and then put it back in her pocket. Instantly, a plate heaped with sandwiches and a goblet appeared on the desk. "You may eat in here. I will come get you after the feast and you will sleep tonight in the common room of your brother's house."  
  
"Thank you," Michelle said politely. She picked up a sandwich from the plate as McGonagall left and bit into it. "Ugh, tuna! Yusky!!!" She put that one back and picked up a different one and bit into it. "Turkey. Much better."  
  
Meanwhile, the first years were still standing in the hall, waiting for McGonagall to return.  
  
"Thank you for getting Chelle to go with the professor," James said to Lily.  
  
"It was nothing," Lily said, brushing aside his thanks.  
  
"Why do you hate me so much, Lily?" James asked her, looking at her sadly.  
  
"I don't," Lily answered defensively. "You just aren't my favorite person in the world."  
  
"Who's this?" Alyssa asked, coming up to Lily.  
  
"James Potter," James said, not taking his eyes off Lily. "Nice to meet you."  
  
"Nice to meet you, too," Alyssa replied.  
  
"Hello," Adam said, appearing behind his twin. "I'm Adam."  
  
"James," James answered. He finally turned his gaze away from Lily, just as McGonagall walked back into the hall.  
  
"Follow me," she said to the students.  
  
She opened a set of huge double doors and led them into a huge hall, with candles floating in the air and four long tables, set with glistening golden plates. The tables were nearly filled with chattering students. The students all turned in their seats and watched the first years coming in.  
  
"Look at that," Belle whispered to Lily and Alyssa. She pointed to a stool that was sitting in front of the table that all the teachers were sitting at.  
  
"What is it?" Lily whispered back.  
  
"It's a hat," Alyssa whispered.  
  
Suddenly, there was a hush as everyone watched the hat. A rip near the brim opened and the hat began to sing.  
  
"Some hats are tall and smart, some hats are short and torn, but I'm the smartest hat you'll find, though I'm not often worn. I'll look inside your head, and read what's in your mind, and put you in a house, judging on what I find. You might be put in Ravenclaw, where the clever are, and if you're put in Ravenclaw, guaranteed you'll go far."  
  
The hat went on to sing about all the other houses, giving little tidbits of information on all of them. When it finished singing, all the students burst into cheers. Professor McGonagall stepped forward, holding a scroll of parchment.  
  
"I will read off your name," she began. "You will come up to the Sorting Hat and put it on. The hat will then tell you which house you belong in, and you will go sit with your house."  
  
There was another loud cheer from the older students. McGonagall unrolled her scroll.  
  
"Anderson, Adam!"  
  
Adam grinned nervously at his new friends, then went up to the hat and put it on his head, sitting on the stool. The hat said nothing for a few seconds.  
  
"RAVENCLAW!" it yelled suddenly. The Ravenclaw table burst into cheers.  
  
Adam grinned and set the hat back on the stool, then sat down at the Ravenclaw table. Lily could see the older students patting him on the back.  
  
"Anderson, Alyssa!"  
  
Alyssa glanced over at Lily.  
  
"Go on," Lily whispered. "You'll be put in a good house, I know it!"  
  
Alyssa swallowed hard and walked up to the hat and placed it gingerly on her head. Once again, the hat was silent for some time before it said which house Alyssa was in.  
  
"RAVENCLAW!"  
  
Alyssa grinned happily, took the hat off, and took a seat next to her twin. The Ravenclaws were cheering just as loud for her as they had for Adam.  
  
Lily looked anxiously at Belle.  
  
"What if they split us up?" she whispered.  
  
"They won't," Belle reassured.  
  
"Atkins, Daryl!"  
  
A pale, red haired boy went up and placed the hat on his head.  
  
"HUFFLEPUFF!"  
  
Lily tuned McGonagall's voice out for a little bit, watching the ceiling, which looked like the night sky. She was snapped back to reality when McGonagall called out "Black, Sirius!"  
  
Sirius started forward, brushing past Lily as he went. He flashed a dashing grin at her as he jammed the hat on his head.  
  
"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat yelled after a few seconds. Sirius took off the hat triumphantly, waved at the first years, and strolled over to the Gryffindor table, which was cheering louder than all the others.  
  
Lily groaned.  
  
"I know what you're thinking," Belle said, laughing a little. "But James and Sirius aren't so bad once you get to know them. If we both end up in Gryffindor, and James does too, it won't be horrible. I promise."  
  
"I believe you," Lily said, though she really didn't.  
  
"Clark, Chad" became another Hufflepuff. Lily noticed that he was giving the older female students appreciative looks. She also noticed that they were all scooting away from him. Chad noticed Lily watching him and whistled. She gave him a dirty look.  
  
Lily was growing increasingly nervous. McGonagall finally finished calling all the students with last names that began with a 'd' and started on 'e'.  
  
"Eaton, Melissa!"  
  
"SLYTHERIN!"  
  
"Effen, Steven!"  
  
"HUFFLEPUFF!"  
  
Finally, McGonagall called:  
  
"Evans, Lily!"  
  
Lily took a few deep breaths.  
  
"Go get 'em, girl!" Belle whispered. She pushed Lily forward.  
  
Lily sat down on the stool and put the Sorting Hat on her head.  
  
"Hmmm," a small voice said in her ear. "Now where do you belong?"  
  
Terrified, all Lily could think was "what if, what if, what if..."  
  
"What if what? You don't fit in the house you're put in?"  
  
"I don't know where I belong..." Lily thought anxiously.  
  
"Hmmm, well, you've got an extremely bright mind, a loyal and courageous nature, and curiosity. And goodness, talent too! So where do you belong?"  
  
"Please, not Slytherin!" Lily thought, remembering what James had told her about Slytherin.  
  
"Well then, how about GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted the last word out to the hall.  
  
Lily sighed with relief and slipped off the stool, then placed the hat back on the stool. She walked over to the Gryffindor table and took a seat, watching the remaining first years. Belle flashed her a confident grin and a wink. Lily returned the wink and smiled happily.  
  
"Ooh, I hope I get Gryffindor," James said to Remus, seeing Lily's happy face.  
  
"Do you like her?" Remus asked quietly.  
  
"I don't see why I do, considering she hates my guts, but I do," James admitted.  
  
"I don't blame you for liking her," Remus consoled. "She's really pretty, and from the little bit I talked to her, she seems nice."  
  
They were silent for the remainder of time until Remus was called and sorted into Gryffindor, going over and sitting with Lily and Belle, who had also been sorted into Gryffindor. James stood, waiting for his name to be called. He was surprised by a faint sniffle coming from his right and turned to see Peter Pettigrew standing there.  
  
"Hullo, Peter," he whispered, watching as "McKenzie, Jessica" became a Ravenclaw.  
  
"Hi," Peter said, sounding miserable.  
  
"What's the matter?"  
  
"I'm afraid I won't get sorted into any house," Peter said, sniffing again.  
  
"Why wouldn't you be sorted?"  
  
"I dunno, I'm not that great at magic," Peter said, shrugging.  
  
"Well, I don't think they would've sent you a letter saying you'd gotten in if they weren't sure there was a place for you," James said sensibly.  
  
"True," Peter agreed, not ready to be happy yet.  
  
"Patil, Mark!" became a Hufflepuff. James was really getting nervous now. Suppose he got put in a different house than Sirius, and Remus, and Lily? Suppose he was put in Hufflepuff? Or even worse, suppose he was put into Slytherin? Lily would hate him for sure, then...he quickly pushed all thoughts out of his mind, except for thinking about what he'd do when he got into Gryffindor.  
  
"Pettigrew, Peter!"  
  
Peter gulped anxiously, then stepped forward, tripped on the hem of his robes, and fell flat on his face again with a loud squeak. James hurried forward and helped Peter up.  
  
"Did you see that? What an idiot!" a boy yelled from the Hufflepuff table. James glanced over to their table, making a mental note of which boy it was so he could trash can him later. It was Chad Clark, the one that had whistled at Lily. James made another mental note to trash can him again, for whistling at Lily.  
  
By that time, Peter was up on the stool with the Sorting Hat on his head. The hat seemed to be taking a long time with him. Finally, it yelled out: "SLYTHERIN!!"  
  
James winced. Poor Peter. Now he'd really have some of the kids teasing him. He went back to watching the ceremony, knowing full well that Sirius was watching him anxiously. Even Remus was watching him with more than a little worry in his eyes.  
  
"Potter, James!"  
  
James feigned confidence as he walked up to the stool and placed the Sorting Hat on his head.  
  
"So, where do you belong?" the hat said in his ear.  
  
"I hope that it's with all my friends," James thought anxiously. "With Sirius, and Remus, and Belle, and Lily...most of all Lily..."  
  
"Bit smitten, are we?"  
  
"Uhh..."  
  
"Hmmm. You've got talent, I see, and plenty of it, too! Bravery, goodness yes, lots of it, and an eager mind...so where to put you? Yes, where?"  
  
"Uhh..."  
  
"I know! GRYFFINDOR!"  
  
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" James thought, filled with relief.  
  
"You're welcome," the hat said as James took it off. He almost forgot to act like he wasn't excited as he walked to the Gryffindor table, but remembered and quickly slowed his walk, smiling a jaunty grin to the unsorted first years. He took a seat next to Sirius and across from Lily. Next to Lily was Belle, then Remus.  
  
"So, looks like we'll be spending a little more time together than you'd hoped," James said jokingly to Lily. To his surprise, she laughed.  
  
"I'm sure it won't kill me," she said, thinking that she might as well give him a chance. He had to be nicer than that Chad kid.  
  
"I should hope it wouldn't kill you," Belle said, grinning. "What would poor James do?"  
  
James felt his face turning hot. Lily laughed a little.  
  
"So, James, what about the brilliant idea we had on the train?" Sirius asked. "Are we going through with it?"  
  
"Which one?"  
  
"Y'know, the one about people in the you-know-what," Sirius said meaningfully.  
  
"Oh yeah," James said, remembering. "Hey Remus!"  
  
"What?" Remus said, looking up with a startled look on his face.  
  
"Sirius and I need to talk to you after the feast," James said, grinning wickedly.  
  
"Okay," Remus said, a confused look on his face. "Couldn't you just talk to me right now?"  
  
"It's confidential," Sirius said quickly.  
  
Lily rolled her eyes. "All they want to know is if you'll join their stupid gang and play pranks on people with them," she said, giving Belle a look that plainly said "They are soo stupid."  
  
"Really?" Remus asked, interested. "Sounds good to me!"  
  
"Now, we just need to find another boy our age to be in it," Sirius said thoughtfully.  
  
"May I suggest someone?" Remus asked.  
  
"Yeah, go right ahead!" James said, nodding.  
  
"Peter Pettigrew. I was talking to him on the train, and it seems like the fellow would give anything to have a bit of glory," Remus explained. He didn't know it then, but those words would come back to haunt him, about ten years later...  
  
"Is that okay with you, James?" Sirius asked. "Peter seems a little quiet, but I'm sure he'd make a good Marauder after a bit."  
  
"Works for me. I'll talk to him after the feast," James said. "Which I'm hoping will start fairly soon. I'm starving!"  
  
Just then, McGonagall rolled up her scroll, picked up the stool with the Sorting Hat still on it, and carried it out of the Great Hall. She returned quickly and took a seat at the table with the rest of the teachers, next to an old wizard with a flowing white beard and hair. He had bright blue eyes that twinkled behind half-moon spectacles.  
  
This man stood up, holding his hands out for silence, which he was immediately given.  
  
"Before the feast, I would like to give a few announcements," he said loudly. "First of all, I would like to inform you that our old gamekeeper, Connolly Ogg, has retired."  
  
There were a few whoops and hollers. Lily gave Belle a puzzled look. A third or fourth year boy intercepted it and leaned over, explaining that Connolly Ogg had been hated by most students.  
  
"He is being replaced by Rubeus Hagrid," the man continued.  
  
"Isn't that the man who brought us here?" Lily whispered to Belle.  
  
"I think so," Belle whispered back.  
  
There was a smattering of applause. Up at the high table, Hagrid waved at the students, a broad grin on his face.  
  
"Second, the list of forbidden objects has been updated and can be viewed in caretaker Apollyon Pringle's office. It now lists over seventy items, and I am sure that there will be a mad dash to see it." The man smiled briefly. "Now, I am sure you are all tired of listening to an old man's babble, so eat!"  
  
Lily looked down and saw that the table was now heaped with food. She helped herself to some grilled chicken and mashed potatoes, wondering how James and Sirius could possibly eat all the food piled on their plates.  
  
"Don't you ever get sick from eating so much?" Belle asked them incredulously, reading Lily's thoughts.  
  
"Nope," Sirius and James replied.  
  
Lily rolled her eyes and turned to Belle, talking about how much she was looking forward to learning magic.  
  
The feast ended a while later, with nothing out of the ordinary happening.  
  
"Gryffindors, follow me," a short, rather plain-looking girl yelled. On her robes shone a small silver badge. Lily supposed that this girl was one of the prefects she had heard about.  
  
All the first year Gryffindors rose from the table and followed the girl. Lily noticed that the other first years at different tables were doing the same thing, except they were following one of their own prefects.  
  
"This is the quickest and most direct route to Gryffindor Tower," the prefect was saying. She led them up several staircases, down a couple corridors, through a few more corridors, through a corridor hidden by a tapestry, and got Lily so lost that she had no idea where they were going anymore and lost track of what corridor they had just gone down or staircase they had just climbed. Suddenly, they were in front of a painting of a rather large woman wearing a pink silk dress.  
  
"Password?" the woman asked. Lily jumped in surprise. She hadn't realized that the paintings could talk and move, though she thought she'd seen some movement from the corner of her eye while they were walking. She'd chalked it up to being tired, lost, and worried about school and had just figured she was seeing things.  
  
"Bumblebee," the prefect said loudly. The portrait swung forward, revealing a hole through which they all eagerly climbed.  
  
The prefect quickly explained where the dorms were, how often the password would be changed, and all the other nitty-gritty information they needed to know. Lily and Belle went up to the girl's dorms and found their trunks. Snitch was asleep on the bed that Lily's trunk was next to, with her tail covering her nose.  
  
"I can't believe this is really happening," Belle said, gazing around. There were five beds in the room, all with red velvet curtains.  
  
"I keep thinking I'm going to wake up and it'll all be a dream," Lily agreed.  
  
Just then, three girls appeared in the doorway, looking just as disbelieving as Lily and Belle felt.  
  
"Are you the other first year girls?" Lily inquired.  
  
They nodded.  
  
"I'm Lily Evans," she said, going over to them and holding out her hand.  
  
"Isabelle Kirke. Call me Belle," she said, going over to them as well.  
  
"Lydian Brenton." A tall girl with long blonde hair and green eyes shook both their hands.  
  
"Miana Daniels." She shook their hands as well, then tucked a strand of her short brown hair behind her ear. Her eyes were a clear, bluish gray.  
  
"Anne Hawkins," the third girl said. She was shorter than both Miana and Lydian, with dirty-blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail.  
  
Suddenly, there was a noise behind Miana, Lydian, and Anne.  
  
"Professor McGonagall told me to come in here," a girl said. Lydian and her friends came into the room fully and Lily saw it was Michelle standing there. "I guess I'm supposed to sleep in here tonight."  
  
The girls talked for a while and then went to bed. Michelle was on the floor, with the spare blankets the girls had found under their beds. Lily fell asleep almost immediately, Snitch curled at her feet.  
  
Over in boys' dorm, however, James Potter lay awake, thinking about Lily. He hadn't known her that long, but already felt like he'd known her for a while. He knew her laugh, her smile, the way her eyes flashed when she was angry, the way she always rolled her eyes when she was annoyed, and even how she unknowingly twirled a strand of her hair around her fingers when she was nervous. He sighed loudly, thinking that the other boys were already asleep.  
  
"James, quit thinking about Lily and go to sleep," Sirius said. His voice was slightly muffled and James had a hunch he was speaking into his pillow.  
  
James sighed again, rolled over, and fell asleep, thinking about how annoying friends were sometimes and (of course) Lily.  
  
A/N: Aychihuahua, that was long! Sorry about how it just kinda drags on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on.........anyway, reviews would be greatly appreciated. Michelle, please please please write more on your fic! (For those of you who don't know, my friend is writing a fic, but she hasn't posted it yet, so I'm sad.)  
  
Oh, and while you're waiting for me to post more on this story, I'd really appreciate it if you would read some of my other stuff. I've fallen behind on updating them, but I'm getting there. 


	10. Adios to Michelle and the Marauders Stri...

Disclaimer: enough said. On with chapter whatever this is!!! (I think it's ten)  
  
"Bye, Jim-Jim-Jimmyjim-Jim-Jim-Jim!" Michelle yelled, leaning out the window of the Hogwarts Express. It was the Saturday after the September first, and Michelle was going back to London and meeting her mother at Platform Nine and Three Quarters.  
  
"Don't call me that, Chelle-Chelle-Chellychelle-Chelle-Chelle-Chelle!" James yelled back. He was down at the station in Hogsmeade, the local wizarding community, with Sirius, Peter, Remus, Belle, and Lily, saying goodbye to his sister.  
  
"Shut up, you yeller bellied liver snap," Michelle retorted.  
  
"That's it, I'm writing Mum and telling her to stop letting you watch John Wayne movies!" James declared.  
  
Michelle's jaw dropped. "No, Jaime, you wouldn't! Please don't!" she begged.  
  
Lily laughed. "Bye, Michelle!" she called. "I'll write to you!"  
  
Over the past few days, Michelle and Lily (and Belle) had become good friends. They had also become friends with the other girls in their dorm - Lydian, Miana, and Anne. Lydian, they found out, was a total tomboy. She was more at home on the soccer field, Quidditch field, basketball court, volleyball court, ice skating rink, and swimming pool than she was anywhere else. Miana was a drama queen. She was a very talented actress, singer, and dancer, and loved to do all three. Anne was the quietest of them, and had only one passion: writing. Lily had stumbled upon Anne one afternoon sitting in the window seat in their dorm, writing poems that were as good as any of the ones Lily had read in school.  
  
"Bye, Michelle!" Sirius yelled at the top of his lungs.  
  
"See you later!" Remus shouted.  
  
"Bye, guys!" Michelle yelled back, waving furiously.  
  
The train pulled away from the platform, and the six students turned and walked back up to the castle.  
  
"Are you glad your sister's leaving?" Belle asked James. He laughed.  
  
"I'm glad, but then again, I'm not. I really had fun with her here for a while," he said.  
  
"Michelle's nice," Lily put in. "I can't wait till she comes here next year."  
  
"I can," Sirius said, grinning. "The sooner she gets here, the less time we have to play pranks without worrying about getting in trouble!"  
  
"MARAUDERS STRIKE AGAIN!" James, Sirius, and Remus yelled. They high-fived each other.  
  
"Peter, how come you didn't say it?" James asked suddenly.  
  
"Yeah, Peter, do you not want to be a Marauder anymore?" Sirius wanted to know.  
  
"Marauders strike again," Peter mumbled. He held up his hand for a high- five from each boy.  
  
"That's better," Remus said, smiling. Lily wasn't sure, but she thought that he looked a little more tired than usual.  
  
"Remus, are you okay?" she asked. "You look kind of sick."  
  
"No, I'm fine," Remus said hurriedly.  
  
"Are you sure?" Belle asked. "You do look a little pale."  
  
"I'm fine," Remus insisted. "What's today?" he asked suddenly.  
  
"Saturday," Lily, James, and Sirius all said together.  
  
"No, what's the date?" Remus corrected.  
  
Sirius told him and Remus went, if possible, a little paler.  
  
"Are you all right?" Lily asked again.  
  
"Remus, you don't look so great," James commented.  
  
"I'm fine!" Remus snapped.  
  
Peter winced.  
  
Remus rubbed his eyes. "Sorry, guys," he said. "I'm just not myself today."  
  
"I'll say," Belle said under her breath.  
  
They reached the castle and went inside, debating where they should go. The Gryffindor common room wasn't really a good idea, since Peter was in Slytherin and a lot of the other Gryffindor students didn't really like Slytherins that much.  
  
"We could go to the library," Lily suggested.  
  
"How about the Quidditch field?" Sirius said excitedly. "I think the Gryffindor team is down there practicing. We could watch!"  
  
"Nah," James said. "They'd assume that Peter was spying."  
  
"Oh yeah," Sirius said, disappointed.  
  
"I still say we go to the library," Lily said. "Besides, we've got to finish our Transfiguration homework," she pointed out.  
  
The others grumbled, not wanting to be reminded of homework.  
  
"I need to go see McGonagall," Remus said suddenly, edging away from them. "I'll meet you guys up in the common room, I guess. See you around, Peter," he added, going around the corner.  
  
"He's weird," was Belle's comment.  
  
"You think you aren't?" was Sirius's retort.  
  
"No, I know I am, but he's just plain out weird," Belle replied.  
  
"Oh well. Whatever it is, it's his business," James interrupted. "Come on, I guess we should go do our homework."  
  
"Okay," they all groaned. They all trudged up to the common room, and sat together working on the loads of homework they had been given.  
  
A few weeks later, James received a letter from his mother.  
  
"Ha ha, Mum sent Chelle to Ireland," he read, grinning widely as he read.  
  
"Huh?" Lily said.  
  
"Why would your mum send your sister to Ireland?" Belle asked, confused.  
  
"I think I know why," Sirius said, a grin beginning to show.  
  
"Then explain, please," Remus threw in, looking up from a letter from his family.  
  
"My mother's mother is Irish, and has the temper to prove it," James began. "Her name is Siobhan Ebony-Mahoney. She lives in Dublin, way far away from any of the other people that live there. She's got a great house, and acres of land that are awesome for playing Quidditch on. But, she doesn't have a television, radio, or telephone - Muggle things," he explained, seeing the blank expressions on Remus's and Belle's faces. Sirius knew what these things were, as James's mother had them so she could keep up her appearance as a Muggle and Sirius had spent half his life at James's house.  
  
"So what's Michelle do up there?" Lily asked curiously.  
  
"She basically has to sit around and embroider, which Gramma loves to do, or sit and do nothing, since Mum said she didn't let Chelle take her broom," James replied, scanning the letter.  
  
"But I still don't understand why your sister's in Ireland," Remus said.  
  
"I don't, either," Lily and Belle chimed in.  
  
"She's in Ireland because that's her punishment for sneaking aboard the train," James said.  
  
"Gramma's fun, though," Sirius said, reaching across the table they were sitting at and picking up Lily's Charms homework. "I'm borrowing this."  
  
"No, you are not!" Lily said, snatching her homework back. "You call James's grandmother Gramma?"  
  
"Yeah, why not? I've known her pretty much all my life, and she acts the same to me as she does her real grandchildren," Sirius said, shrugging. He looked at Lily pleadingly. "Can I pleeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaase borrow your homework? Pretty please with a cherry on top? Please please please?"  
  
"No!" Lily said, standing up, putting her homework on her chair, and sitting on it. She crossed her arms. "You'll never learn if you don't do it yourself."  
  
"I'll let you borrow my Potions homework," Sirius wheedled.  
  
Remus, James, and Belle were watching the two with amused faces. James was secretly wondering if he should take Sirius's side and help him get Lily's homework, or take Lily's side and yell at Sirius to do his own homework.  
  
"I don't want to borrow your Potions homework," Lily said, rolling her eyes. "You haven't even done it yet!"  
  
"I know, but you can when I finish it," Sirius said, sticking out his bottom lip. "Please? Please please please?"  
  
"No!"  
  
Finally, helping his best friend won. James (who was sitting on Lily's left side) winked at Sirius and then started tickling Lily.  
  
"Stop it!" Lily said between giggles, trying to get away from James while still sitting on her homework.  
  
By then, Sirius understood what James was doing and ducked under the table, came up on Lily's right, and started tickling her as well. "Grab her homework, Remus!" he yelled. Several other students in the common room shot him dirty looks, but Sirius didn't care.  
  
"Here, maybe this'll work better," James said, still tickling Lily. "You grab her feet, I'll get her arms."  
  
"No! Don't you dare pick me up, James Potter!" Lily ordered, out of breath and still giggling. "Isabelle, help me!"  
  
"Nah, this is too much fun to watch," Belle said, laughing.  
  
Sirius bent down and grabbed Lily's feet while James got her arms. They picked her up out of her chair and Remus grabbed Lily's homework. They then set her back down on her chair.  
  
"Ooh, I'm gonna kill you," Lily said, still out of breath. "When I get my breath back and can actually chase you, you're going to wish you had Hermes' winged slippers," she added.  
  
"I used to have a pair, but they don't fit anymore," James replied, grinning and copying down Lily's answers. He laughed at Lily's astonished look. "They were a very popular wizarding toy for a while."  
  
Lily sat down, shaking her head and muttering about how she didn't know why she put up with them.  
  
"Oh, give it up, Lil," Sirius said, handing her her homework, which she yanked away from him with a dark look. "You know you love hanging around us."  
  
"Oh yeah, I absolutely adore you all," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.  
  
"We know you do," Remus said just as sarcastically, looking up from his letter again.  
  
"Hey Remus, how's your mom doing?" Sirius asked suddenly. "I mean, you left school so suddenly, none of us were really sure what was wrong."  
  
"Uh, yeah, she's fine," Remus said. Lily wasn't sure if it was her imagination or if Remus was looking a little nervous. She decided that she had to be imagining things, since there was no reason for Remus to look nervous.  
  
Just then, the portrait hole opened and slammed closed again. Lily turned around to see who it was that had walked in so angrily and saw it was Lydian.  
  
"Ooh, I hate him so much!" she said, going over to Lily, Belle, Sirius, James, and Remus. "Guys, can you kill him for me?"  
  
"Who?" James, Remus, and Sirius all said together.  
  
"That stupid Hufflepuff first year kid. His name's Chad Clark or something like that," Lydian said. "He won't leave any of us girls alone!"  
  
"Yeah, he's pretty annoying," Belle said. "He thinks he's God's gift to all the girls here."  
  
"How dare he assume he is, when everyone knows that I am!" Sirius said, his jaw dropping.  
  
Lily, Belle, and Lydian all rolled their eyes.  
  
"You wish. Anyway, the sooner you do something to hurt that boy, the better," Lydian said. "Can I count on you?"  
  
"You got it," James said.  
  
"Thanks." Lydian walked away.  
  
"All right, boys, we need to go get Peter," James said, standing. Sirius and Remus followed suit.  
  
"What are you guys planning on doing?" Lily asked suspiciously. "You'd better not do anything that can get any of you in trouble - and that means Chad, too!"  
  
"Aww, Lil, you're no fun," James said, grinning mischievously. "We'll only lock him in the girls' bathroom if there aren't any girls in there, then," he added.  
  
"Darn, it's more fun when there are," Sirius said, disappointed.  
  
"Yeah, but it'd be torture for the girls that got stuck in there," Remus reminded him. "And you know that if they ever found out it was us who locked Chad in there with them, they'd kill us. And then they'd never consider dating you."  
  
"True, very true," Sirius agreed. "Let's go."  
  
They went through the portrait hole, laughing and talking excitedly.  
  
"They're going to get in such deep trouble one of these days," Lily said, starting on her Potions homework.  
  
"I only hope we're around when it happens," Belle said, giggling.  
  
"Sooo, I wonder where little Chadly is," James mused. "Let's check down by the Great Hall. He seems to hang around there a lot."  
  
"Yeah, there and outside the girls' bathroom," Sirius said. "He seems to think that if he waits outside their bathroom, one of them will eventually pay attention to him."  
  
"Like that's ever going to happen," Remus snorted.  
  
"It won't," James said.  
  
They found Peter in the library, trying desperately to make sense of his Transfiguration homework, and told him their plan. He readily agreed to help them and abandoned his homework without another thought.  
  
"There he is," Sirius whispered as they approached the Great Hall. His eyes gleamed. "Do mine eyes deceive me, or dost thou see it as well?" he asked, reverting to very poor old English.  
  
"Methinks I do," James whispered back. He pointed. "There is another victim! And methinks he wants to be locked in with his fellow idiot!"  
  
"You two are insane," Remus said, shaking his head.  
  
Peter just smiled nervously.  
  
"All right, Peter, you're in charge of getting the second victim," James instructed. "Remus, Sirius, and I will get the first victim."  
  
"I don't want to get Snape all by myself," Peter said, looking over and seeing who James was pointing at.  
  
"Come on, Peter, you'll never get any braver if you don't start doing things yourself," Remus said, giving Peter a little push. "Go!"  
  
Mumbling the whole way, Peter walked over to Snape, who was with his "friends." Frankly, Peter thought that Snape didn't have friends, unlike him, who was lucky enough to be hanging out with the most popular boys in first year!  
  
"Uh, hi, Severus," he squeaked, reaching them.  
  
Snape turned around to see who was talking to him. When he saw who it was, he turned right back around. His friends laughed.  
  
Peter silently cursed James, Sirius, and Remus for making him do this.  
  
"So, Severus, how's it going?" he said, feeling like he'd rather be anywhere in the world but where he was.  
  
"What do you want, Pettigrew?" Snape said exasperatedly, turning around to face him. "I know you have no real reason to talk to me, except for maybe your stupid friends made you."  
  
"N-no, they didn't," Peter said, his knees trembling. "I was just wondering if you could help me with my Defense Against the Dark Arts homework," he added, thinking of a way to get Snape out of there. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw James, Sirius, Remus, and Chad leaving the Great Hall.  
  
"Can't you get stupid Potter to help you?" Snape sighed.  
  
"He w-won't," Peter said, hoping Snape didn't see through his lie. He didn't.  
  
"All right, Peter, what do you need help on?" Snape asked. "I'll be right back," he added to his friends.  
  
They all nodded and started talking again. Peter couldn't hear all of what they were saying, but some of it included something about Tom Riddle and joining him.  
  
"Well? What do you need help on?" Snape said again.  
  
"Uh, the whole thing," Peter lied. "My homework's in the library."  
  
"Fine, let's go," he snapped.  
  
"Okay," Peter said, purposely walking slowly. He knew that James, Sirius, and Remus were probably waiting for him. Sure enough, when Snape strode out of the door, Peter heard James shout "Get him!" and figured that Snape was being tackled. He went through the door and saw James and Remus sitting on Snape, who was yelling at the top of his lungs. Sirius had Chad Clark in a headlock.  
  
"Come on, guys, let's go," Peter said, grinning.  
  
"Where are you taking me?" Chad demanded. "I'm going to fricking kill you as soon as I get away from you!" he added, trying to kick Sirius.  
  
"Yeah, right, whatever, Chadly," Sirius replied, grinning and messing up Chad's hair.  
  
"Don't touch the hair!"  
  
"Ya know, I'm surprised a prefect hasn't heard us and come rushing to get us in trouble," Remus said.  
  
"Shh! Don't curse us, Remus," James said, standing. He then grabbed Snape's hands and held them behind his back while Remus stood up. "Will you two come peacefully, or will you not?"  
  
"GET OFF ME, POTTER!" Snape roared.  
  
"Snapey, you're going to get us in trouble if you don't be quiet," James said, giving Snape a stern look.  
  
Peter led the way down the corridor, keeping an eye out for prefects, teachers, the head boy or girl, and the caretaker. James and Remus came next, nearly dragging Snape, with Sirius following, easily keeping Chad in a headlock.  
  
"Okay, I'll open the door, you guys push them in," Peter said as they approached the bathroom.  
  
"What? Where are you taking me?" Chad demanded. Snape was busy swearing at James and Remus, who were busy not paying attention to him.  
  
"Ready? One... two... THREE!" Peter shoved open the door. In went Severus and Chad, both yelling loudly.  
  
James slammed the door closed and locked it. "Good work, Marauders," he said. "Now, I think we need to go wash our hands, because Snape didn't exactly seem too clean..."  
  
Just as they were walking away, listening with glee to Severus and Chad pounding on the door, Lily and Belle came up to them with annoyed expressions.  
  
"Did you just do what I think you did?" Lily demanded. She stood in front of James, blocking his path.  
  
"You better not have!" Belle said, standing in front of Remus.  
  
Peter, seeing their expressions, cowered behind Sirius. Sirius snorted.  
  
"They deserved it," he said, pushing past the girls and heading down the corridor.  
  
"They'll get out eventually," James said, wanting to follow Sirius but not wanting Lily to be angry with him.  
  
"Eventually?!? And what's going to happen to you when they do?" Lily yelled.  
  
"Er, nothing?" Remus suggested.  
  
Lily gave Belle an irritated look. She stormed over to the bathroom door, unlocked it, and opened the door. Out tumbled Chad and Snape, knocking over Lily and landing on top of her.  
  
"Get off of me, you idiots!" she yelled, fighting to get out from under them.  
  
James fought the urge to go over and smash Snape's and Chad's heads together.  
  
Snape stood up as soon as he heard Lily's voice. "Well, if it isn't the Mudblood," he sneered.  
  
Lily's face flushed. "I am NOT a Mudblood, Snape! Get off me!" She shoved Chad, who stood up and disappeared around a corner, all the while muttering about the ways he was going to kill the Marauders.  
  
"I'm sure you aren't," Snape sniffed. "If you aren't, then why did you live like a Muggle?"  
  
"Because, I didn't know I was a witch!" Lily snapped.  
  
"How could you not know?" Snape scoffed.  
  
"It's a long story, and one I don't feel like telling you!" Lily said, glaring at him. "Come on, Belle." The two girls stormed off.  
  
"Smooth move, Snape," Sirius yelled.  
  
"What did I do?" Snape asked, looking at them like everything was their fault. "I simply asked her how she could not know."  
  
James rolled his eyes in disgust. "Let's get out of here, Marauders," he said. The three other boys followed him down the corridor.  
  
"One day, you will pay for this!" Snape shouted after them. "You will pay!"  
  
A/N: Thank you everyone who has reviewed my story! Michelle, you better not have scared all my reviewers off...I'll cry if you did... just kidding, if anyone scared my reviewers off, it was me. Anyway, please please PLEASE review! And if you could, read some of my other stuff! PLEASE I BEG OF YOU 


	11. James has an Evil Saxophone and Michelle...

Disclaimer: Consider yourself at home! Consider yourself one of the family. We've taken to you so strong, it's clear we're going to get along consider yourself well in consider yourself part of the furniture there isn't a lot to spare who cares whatever we've got we share......  
  
Four years, six months, three weeks, one day, fourteen hours, and twenty- one minutes later, James burst out of the fifth year boys' dorm, his hair messier than ever, his glasses almost falling off the tip of his nose. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes were dancing, an excited expression on his face.  
  
"I figured it out!" he yelled.  
  
Everyone in the common room looked up, saw who it was, and went back to their work. Most of the students were accustomed to seeing James, Sirius, or Remus dash out of their dorm, yelling at the top of their lungs.  
  
Lily, who was sitting by the fire with Belle, was one of the few who didn't look away. She thought she had a pretty good idea of what James had figured out, and if she was right, boy, was he ever going to get a good- sized piece of her mind.  
  
"Lily...Lily!"  
  
She was suddenly aware that someone was calling her name. "Huh? What?"  
  
"Lily, I know that you enjoy staring at James, but it's not going to get our homework done," Belle said in a teasing voice.  
  
Lily blushed, then blushed even worse because she knew she was blushing. "I don't enjoy staring at him," she protested.  
  
"Uh huh, whatever," Belle said, grinning. "Anyway, we need to figure out the Divination homework."  
  
"Can't we just go find Michelle?" Lily complained. "She's a whole heck of a lot better at Divination than stupid Professor McLaughlin. She doesn't know any of what she's doing!"  
  
"Neither does Miss Teacher's Pet Trelawney," Belle responded. "I think Michelle does, though. She really seems to understand everything in that whole book!"  
  
"Well, even if Chelle does understand it, she's in Ravenclaw, not Gryffindor, so it'd take us a while to find her," Lily said. "And then we'd have to convince her to let us use her homework."  
  
"Yeah," Belle said.  
  
In a corner by the window, James was sitting with Sirius and Remus. All were talking furiously in low voices, glancing around occasionally to make sure no one heard them.  
  
"I can't believe we finally figured it out, mate," Sirius said to James. He grinned. "Just think of all the things we can do now..."  
  
"We figured it out? Excuse me, I think you mean I figured it out," James corrected.  
  
"What do you mean, you figured it out?" Remus demanded, grinning. "I think Michelle's the one that figured it out."  
  
"What did I figure out?"  
  
All three of the boys jumped, nervous expressions on their faces.  
  
"Michelle! What the hell are you doing in here?" James said, clutching at his chest. "You almost gave me a heart attack..."  
  
"Whatever, Jaime. You know I didn't," Michelle said, sitting on the ground at their feet. "You're not in the condition to have a heart attack."  
  
"What are you doing in here, though?" Remus asked, intervening before James and Michelle started a full-fledged war. "You're in Ravenclaw, not Gryffindor.  
  
"I know I'm in Ravenclaw, Remus," she said, making an exasperated face. "Just Jaime here is so stupid that he needs help on his Divination homework all the time, so he gives me the password to your common room so I can help him. It all works out."  
  
"Right," Sirius said. He glanced around. "So where's your friend?"  
  
"Koba? She's...I have no idea where, I thought she was right behind me," Michelle said, standing and looking around the room. "Oh wait, I must've closed the portrait before she could get in after me...I bet she's outside, waiting for me to let her in!"  
  
She crossed the room and opened the portrait hole. Sure enough, in came Koba - a tall, willowy girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. James didn't see any creatures crawling up and down her arms, but there was no doubt in his mind that she had at least one salamander in her pocket.  
  
"Thanks for letting me in, Chelle," she said sarcastically.  
  
"You're welcome. Anytime, Koba," Michelle replied. She motioned for Koba to follow her. They both went back to where the boys were sitting. When Koba saw James, she let out a gasp.  
  
"It's the evil saxophone monster!" she said. She held up her hands in a defensive position.  
  
"Would you two cut it out?" James said irritably. "My saxophone is NOT evil!"  
  
"Uh huh, sure," Michelle said. "It looks evil, and it sounds worse!"  
  
"Go Michelle!" Koba said, giving Michelle a high-five. "Great comeback."  
  
"Thanks," Michelle said, grinning at her brother angelically. "Flutes are way better."  
  
"Heck yeah, flute power!" Koba gave Michelle another high five.  
  
"You forgot alto power!" Lily called to them from across the room, from where she sat trying to do her homework.  
  
"Thanks, Lil!" Michelle called back. She did the alto power sign. Lily did it back. Michelle then turned to Koba and did the sign again. Koba returned it, then held out her hand for another high-five.  
  
"I still don't understand why you guys do that for alto power," James said, shaking his head. "It doesn't make sense."  
  
"It does to us," Koba argued. "All it is is sign language for 'a' and then for 'p'. It's not that hard, Mr. Rocket Scientist."  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"Anyway, what did I figure out?" Michelle asked. "You never answered my question."  
  
"Uhh," James, Sirius, and Remus said together. They all gave Koba uneasy looks.  
  
"I can take a hint," she said, standing. "They obviously don't want me to know." She walked over and sat down on the floor by Lily.  
  
"You figured out the rest of the spells for becoming Animagi," James said in a low voice.  
  
"Muy gracias," Sirius added.  
  
Michelle rolled her eyes at Sirius's pitiful attempt to speak Spanish. "You dummy, it's muchas gracias, not muy gracias."  
  
"And you expect me to know this...how?" Sirius said, raising one eyebrow. He glanced down at his watch. "Oops, I have to go, I promised Lyssa I'd meet her in the Great Hall," he said apologetically. He stood up and hurried out of the room.  
  
"I still don't understand why he's dating her," Michelle said, crossing her arms. Koba, seeing Sirius leave, came back over to them.  
  
"Who's dating who?" she asked, sitting down.  
  
"Sirius is going out with Alyssa Anderson, and Michelle doesn't like it," Remus replied, looking at Michelle curiously.  
  
"What?" Michelle snapped at Remus, seeing him looking at her. "She's a ditz! I don't even know why she's in Ravenclaw..."  
  
"Michelle, give it up," James said, sighing. "We know that you like Sirius."  
  
"I do not!" Michelle said, blushing.  
  
"You know you do," Koba said, grinning. "I can't really blame you, though. He's one of the best looking boys in the whole school!"  
  
"One of? Who are the others?" Remus asked interestedly.  
  
"None of your beeswax, that's who," Koba retorted.  
  
"Michelle!"  
  
Michelle looked up and saw that Lily was yelling to her and waving her Divination homework in the air. "What?" she yelled back.  
  
"HELP!"  
  
Michelle laughed. "My assistance is needed," she said, standing and crossing to Lily. Koba followed her, giving James and Remus a jaunty goodbye wave.  
  
"Michelle, I don't understand any of this stuff," Lily said, looking hopelessly at her homework. "And Belle's just as lost as me!"  
  
"Really? You guys are in dire need of help!" Michelle said, sitting next to them.  
  
"Yeah, we are," Belle replied, not taking her eyes off her homework.  
  
Michelle laughed and started explaining it to them, with Koba throwing in the things she missed. After she finished, the four girls left the common room, saying they were going to the library to finish other homework.  
  
"So anyway, what's yours going to be again?" Remus asked James quietly.  
  
"A stag. Sirius's is a dog," James answered, just as quietly. "Peter's a rat. Or a mouse, I forget which."  
  
"Why is he something so little?" Remus asked.  
  
"Well, one of us has to be able to press the knot," James said reasonably. "And Peter just volunteered to be the one to do it. I was kind of surprised, actually...I didn't think he'd want to do it."  
  
"Oh well," Remus replied. "I'm guessing you and Sirius picked something big on purpose?"  
  
"Yeah," James replied. "We had to, so we could make sure you don't, y'know, run off and bite someone, or something."  
  
Remus looked depressed. "There are times I wonder what I did to deserve this," he said finally.  
  
"Oh, come on, mate," James said, giving Remus a grin that had been known to make some of the female recipients of it swoon. "You know that it's not your fault you're a werewolf."  
  
"Yeah, true," Remus said, still looking dejected.  
  
"And you know there's no way we can get caught. We've got my cloak, so no one will be able to see us on our way down, and no one's going to think much of a stray dog, a rat, and a stag. At least, if we're close to the forest," he amended.  
  
"James, the thing about talking to you is that you always manage to make things seem better," Remus said, grinning himself. "And that can be a bad thing, sometimes."  
  
"Sorry, would you rather just wallow in your misery?"  
  
"Sometimes, yes."  
  
Meanwhile, Sirius was sitting at the Ravenclaw table, next to Alyssa Anderson, who was chatting like crazy about some stupid rumor she'd heard about some stupid person. He sighed, wishing he hadn't agreed to meet her there. Sitting in the common room had been a whole heck of a lot more fun, even if Alyssa was supposedly his girlfriend.  
  
"What was that for?"  
  
"Huh?" Sirius looked up at Alyssa. She was staring at him with an annoyed look on her face. "What was what for?"  
  
She sighed exaggeratedly. "That."  
  
"I'm just tired," Sirius said. "Y'know, from Quidditch practice."  
  
"I understand," Alyssa said sweetly. "I'm so proud of you, Sirius. I mean, you manage to do wonderful on the team, even though your best friend is the captain and so much better than you."  
  
"Thanks, I think," Sirius muttered. "Look, Lys, I think I'm going to go to bed," he said, standing.  
  
Alyssa pouted at him, then smiled sweetly. Sirius fought the urge to gag.  
  
"Love you, baby," she said, standing and hugging him tightly. She planted a kiss on his cheek, then released him.  
  
"Yeah, see you later," Sirius said, hurrying out of the Great Hall and wiping his cheek off.  
  
"Where are you going in such a hurry?"  
  
Sirius looked up, recognizing the voice. "Oh, hey Michelle," he said, his stomach tying itself into several large knots. He hoped his face and voice didn't betray his feelings. "I was just..."  
  
"Getting away from Alyssa?" Michelle finished for him. "I figured as much, when I saw you wiping off your cheek."  
  
"She knows I don't like it when she kisses me like that," Sirius defended.  
  
"I never said she didn't!" Michelle said, putting her hands on her hips. She glared at him. "You don't have to get all defensive about it."  
  
"Well what if I want to?" Sirius asked, glaring back and taking a step forward. "Would you care then?"  
  
"What makes you think I care what you want to do?" Michelle replied, undaunted. To show she wasn't scared of him, she stepped forward as well. There was now only about six inches space between them.  
  
"Well I dunno, maybe the way you always act around me," Sirius said. Not about to be shown down by a lowly fourth year Ravenclaw girl, he inched closer, making the space between them a measly three inches.  
  
"Aww, look at that," Michelle heard someone whisper. She whirled around to see Lily peeking around the corner. All that was visible of her was her head. James's head was floating above hers, making them both look like they were just heads stuck to the wall. James had a strange expression on his face - a mixture of triumph and worry. Lily was grinning from ear to ear, though her eyes had a wistful look.  
  
"Are we interrupting?" Lily asked. "Sorry."  
  
"No, you weren't interrupting anything," Sirius said, stepping back and running a hand through his messy black hair nervously. He had interpreted James's expression quite well, and knew he was going to get it as soon as James had him alone.  
  
"It sure didn't look like nothing," James said, forcing a smile.  
  
"It was nothing, James," Michelle said, unable to keep the annoyance out of her voice. "What are you and Lily doing down here?"  
  
"None of your business!" was James's retort.  
  
"Whatever," Michelle said, rolling her eyes.  
  
"We were looking for you two," Lily said, punching James's arm lightly.  
  
"Yeah." James winced and rubbed his arm. "Watch the bruise..."  
  
"What bruise?" Michelle demanded. "Did you get in a fight with Snape again? James, I thought Mum told you to be nicer to him!"  
  
"No, it's from the Quidditch match last Saturday, when Andy let that Bludger pass and it hit my arm," he replied. He rolled up his sleeve to show a huge purple and blue bruise. "And Andy thought it was hilarious."  
  
"What?? I thought Andy let that Bludger by on accident!" Lily said indignantly.  
  
"He said he did," Sirius cut in. "But I don't know if he did or not."  
  
"Anyway, Michelle, I need to talk to you," Lily said, realizing that James needed to talk to Sirius, probably about Michelle. "Come on."  
  
Lily and Michelle walked off, leaving James and Sirius standing in the corridor.  
  
"Look, James, we really weren't doing anything," Sirius began.  
  
"I know, I believe you," James said, holding up a hand to get his friend to shut up. "But I just want to make sure you won't do to her what you did to so many other girls."  
  
"What, make her cry her eyes out? That's not my fault; they're all so stupid that they think I really like them and so they tell everyone that I like them and then when I tell them they don't, they're heartbroken," Sirius explained.  
  
"I'm sure," James said. "Just...Chelle's my baby sister. I don't want anything to happen to her."  
  
"I know you don't. Now, what about you and Lily?"  
  
"What about me and Lily?" James asked, his forehead creasing.  
  
"Do you still like her?" Sirius asked, rolling his eyes.  
  
"As more than a friend?"  
  
"No, as a sister. Duh, as more than a friend."  
  
"I don't know what's going on with us, Sirius," James said, sighing. "Every time I think we'll never be more than just friends, Lily does something that makes me think maybe, just maybe, we'll get together."  
  
"Like what does she do?" Sirius asked, raising one eyebrow.  
  
"Just little things, like hug me longer than a friend would, or criticize any girl she thinks I like," James said. "Now that I'm actually telling you about them, they don't seem that huge."  
  
"That's always what happens," Sirius said, grinning. "Anything else?"  
  
"Well, yesterday, when we were studying, I was talking to her, and I asked her something. I forget what. Anyway, she didn't reply, so when I looked up, she was just kind of staring at me. I waved my hand in front of her face, trying to get her to snap out of it. She jumped was all 'Sorry, I was spacing out' and then leaned across the table brushed my hair out of my eyes," James said quickly, hoping Sirius wouldn't think he was an idiot for reading so much into one simple little thing.  
  
"Well, you know that stupid saying," Sirius said. "What was it again?"  
  
"I don't know, considering I have no idea which stupid saying you're talking about."  
  
"One of those stupid ones that grandmothers like to embroider on pillows," Sirius explained.  
  
"Oh, you mean like 'A penny saved is a penny earned' and 'Waste not, want not'?" James asked, thinking of all the pillows his grandmother had embroidered.  
  
"Yeah, kinda like those. Only this one was about words."  
  
"I have no idea."  
  
Sirius snapped his fingers. "I got it! 'Actions speak louder than words.' Remember that, Jimmy."  
  
"Don't call me Jimmy. And why should I remember it?"  
  
"Because, Lily's actions are speaking louder than her words."  
  
"Oh, I get it."  
  
"I'm sure you do, Jimmy."  
  
"Don't. Call. Me. JIMMY."  
  
A/N: Please, review! I'm dying here, people! Hey Michelle, remember that your fanfic is like sugar and I can't live without it. So write more, please!  
  
Everyone else: if you could just review this, I will die a happy person. After I finish writing it, at least. I don't even care if all you put in your review is "good" or even "okay" or even just a stinking "keep writing"! I really just want reviews...I need reviews almost as much as I need sugar...heh heh...I love being insane...  
  
Oh, and for anyone who's wondering about the evil saxophone thing: one of the guys in our band has this saxophone that's like this dark grey metal with gold keys, and for some reason, I hate it. It's really scary looking. Anyway, I thought it would be fun if I threw that in here, since Michelle knows what I'm talking about. Lata. 


	12. The Quidditch Match

Disclaimer: You know, I've decided that I hate school with all my heart. I'd really rather just stay home and write, and play computer games, and go on the Harry Potter site. Oh well. Anyway, I own any characters you don't recognize (besides Michelle, she belongs to Michelle and Michelle alone, and the character Chad doesn't belong to anyone and the real Chad deserves to be locked in a room with a zillion dementors). THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS! I FEEL LOVED!!  
  
Lily pulled her cloak tighter against the chill of the wind. "Y'know, they need to invent a sport that can be played inside for wizards," she muttered. Belle sighed, rolling her eyes at the sixth-year girl next to her.  
  
"Oh, Lily, quit whining," Belle said, looking around the stands for people she knew. "You love watching Quidditch and you know it. Especially when James is the one playing," she added teasingly.  
  
Lily blushed. "Yeah, that is a perk," she agreed. "Unfortunately, he seems quite content staying in the 'just friends' category."  
  
"Well, after the way you treated him in first year, how to you expect him to act?" Belle scolded.  
  
Lily's eyes turned sad. "Yeah, well, I wasn't exactly the nicest person then. I'm not now, either."  
  
Belle's eyebrows shot up. "What's this? Lily Evans, candidate for Head Girl next year, admitting that she's not perfect? And for these six years, everyone thought she was! Stop the presses! This news has to get out!" Belle yelled, off in her own little dream world.  
  
It was Lily's turn to roll her eyes. "Oh, look, here comes the team!" she said, pointing. The Gryffindor Quidditch team came out, dressed in their red Quidditch robes. The Ravenclaw team was standing on the field already, wearing blue.  
  
"There's Michelle," Belle said, shading her eyes from the sun and pointing.  
  
"I see her," Lily said, waving at Michelle. Michelle waved back energetically.  
  
"This has got to be strange for James," Belle said, watching the Gryffindor team fly around the stadium in a warm-up lap. "I mean, he's playing against his own sister!"  
  
"They've done it before," Lily reminded her.  
  
"Well, yeah, but they weren't tied for the lead for House Cup at that time," Belle objected.  
  
"True. Good point, too." Lily waved at James and Sirius as they flew by. Sirius winked and grinned, but James blushed and didn't even look Lily in the eye.  
  
Belle glanced at Lily, one eyebrow raised. "What was that?"  
  
"Don't ask me. I have no clue why all of a sudden he won't even look me in the eye," Lily said, somewhat bitterly. "Look, there's Madam Hooch."  
  
Madam Hooch walked to the center of the field, holding the Quaffle under one arm. She kicked open the trunk containing the rest of the balls, and the Snitch and two Bludgers zoomed out of it. The shrill sound of her whistle echoed through the air as she threw the Quaffle up, causing more than one student to wince painfully and cover their ears. The players took no notice whatsoever of the crowd and took off after the balls.  
  
"Go Gryffindor!" Lily and Belle shouted together, watching carefully as James and a Ravenclaw Chaser both dove for the Quaffle. Sirius was scouting around, looking for the Snitch, as was Michelle.  
  
"I wonder which one of them will find it first," Belle commented. "GO JAMES!" she yelled. "Come on, oh, look out, there's a Bludger! Nice swerve! Shot! Shoot the Quaffle, come on!"  
  
"Geeze, Belle," Lily said, laughing. "You get so into these games!"  
  
Belle shrugged. "It's fun. GO GRYFFINDOR!"  
  
"Ouch! That was my ear you just screamed into."  
  
"Sorry. GO GRYFFINDOR, GO!!"  
  
"I'm sure you're sorry," Lily said, scooting away from Belle. "But if you're going to scream like that anymore, please warn me."  
  
"Yeah, yeah." Belle watched anxiously. "Oh, watch out, Jaime! Another Bludger!"  
  
"Since when do you call him Jaime?" Lily demanded. "I thought only Michelle called him Jaime!"  
  
"Nope, Sirius calls him Jaime, and he calls him Jimmy, too," Belle replied, her eyes still on the game.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"I dare you to yell 'go Jimmy' at him when he flies by," Belle said, grinning slyly. "Then we'll see if he likes you or not."  
  
"How will we be able to tell?" Lily asked, not believing that they'd be able to tell just by Lily yelling 'go Jimmy.'  
  
"Because, if he likes you, he won't get mad," Belle replied knowingly. "It's a given."  
  
"Fine," Lily sighed. She waited a few minutes, then saw James approaching, holding the Quaffle, on their side of the field. "Here goes," she said.  
  
"Come on, girl, you can do it," Belle encouraged.  
  
"GO JIMMY!" Lily shouted.  
  
James slowed down, nearly dropping the Quaffle but catching it at the last second. He threw it to one of the other Chasers, then glanced over at the stands, trying to figure out who had called him Jimmy.  
  
Lily saw him searching the stands and gave him a small smile, worried that James was going to yell at her.  
  
James grinned back, waved at the crowd, and went on with the game. "Thanks, Lily!" he yelled right before diving for the Quaffle.  
  
"See? I told you," Belle bragged.  
  
Lily was speechless.  
  
"Hello? Lily? Come back from La-La land now," Belle said, waving her hand in front of Lily's face. "Wake up!"  
  
Lily still didn't say anything, just stared after James, wondering if it could be true that he liked her.  
  
Belle had a sudden idea. "Lily! I'm sorry to tell you this, but James is in love with Alyssa," she said regretfully. "I'm sorry."  
  
Lily shrieked. "I hate you! Why'd you get my hopes up??"  
  
"Just kidding. I knew that'd wake you up." Belle grinned.  
  
"Oh, go jump off a cliff," Lily said crossly.  
  
"Why don't you? I'll make sure that James is at the bottom to catch you."  
  
"Oooh, just you wait until I can kill you..."  
  
"You know you'd never hurt me, Lils. Get over it."  
  
Ravenclaw won the game, but just barely - the score was 200 to 60 when Michelle caught the Snitch. Most of the points that Gryffindor had scored were courtesy of James, which Sirius pointed out with pride and James shrugged off modestly.  
  
"It was nothing," he insisted. "The Ravenclaw Chasers aren't very good at defense, that's all."  
  
"Oh, blame it all on them, I see how it is," Lily said jokingly. She reached across the table and tousled his hair.  
  
"Hey, hey, cut it out," James said, ducking away from her hand. "My hair's messed up enough as it is!"  
  
"Yeah, well, then it won't hurt it to get a little messier," Lily told him.  
  
"Hey, Sirius," James said, pointedly ignoring Lily. "Did you get your you- know-what back yet?"  
  
"From my cousin? Yeah, he sent it back yesterday," Sirius said, a devilish glint appearing in his eyes.  
  
"Uh-oh," Belle said to Lily. "Do I dare ask what this he-knows-what is?"  
  
"No, you probably don't," Lily said. "And I have a feeling I don't want to know, either. If it were anyone but them, I'd say we want to know, but it's them, so we don't want to know."  
  
"What? I'm offended," James said, looking shocked. "Why don't you want to know?"  
  
"I want to know," came a sudden voice from the direction of the portrait hole. "What did you get back, Sirius?"  
  
"Michelle! Why are you in here?" James demanded.  
  
"Uh...cause I feel like being in here?" Michelle suggested. "And no, before you ask, Koba's not with me. She's doing her homework that was due last week."  
  
Lily raised an eyebrow. "Her homework that was due last week? Why's she doing it now?"  
  
Michelle sat down at the table, in the only open chair next to Sirius. "Because she's a slacker and she didn't do it before it was due."  
  
"Oh, kind of like you?" Sirius said teasingly.  
  
"Oh, yes, where'd you think she got it from?" Michelle said sarcastically. "Anyway, what'd you get back from your cousin?"  
  
"Oh, nothing," Sirius said, trying not to grin and failing miserably. "Only my motorbike."  
  
"Oh, dear, God," Lily said slowly. "A motorbike."  
  
"A motorbike," Sirius confirmed, watching them gleefully. "You didn't know I had one, did you?"  
  
"No, I don't believe we did," Belle said, just as stunned as Lily.  
  
Michelle rolled her eyes. "You and that stupid motorbike," she said, shaking her head. "You're going to kill yourselves, I swear."  
  
"Yeah, but if we do, it's going to be on a motorbike," James said happily.  
  
"Where's Remus?" Belle asked suddenly. "He hasn't been around for a couple days."  
  
"He's visiting his mother again," James said after a minute. He glanced at Sirius.  
  
"Yeah, his mom's been pretty sick," Sirius said. "So, who wants to go out on my bike?"  
  
"Not me, and why'd you change the subject?" Lily demanded.  
  
"I didn't change the subject," Sirius objected.  
  
"Yes, you did," Belle said. "And we'd like to know why."  
  
"He didn't change the subject," James put in. "Sirius, I'd like to try out your motorbike sometime. And I think Peter will, too."  
  
"Now you just changed the subject!" Lily said in annoyance, looking at James.  
  
"I did not!" James said hotly. "Why do you two keep insisting that we changed the subject??"  
  
"Because, you do keep changing the subject!" Belle retorted.  
  
"We do not!" Sirius shouted.  
  
Everyone in the common room was looking at them now, most with puzzled expressions.  
  
"Mind your own business!" James yelled at them. "Go on, now! Go!"  
  
Everyone looked away quickly. James Potter was not one that everyone wanted to mess with. Neither was Sirius Black, and both boys were glaring at everyone with looks that said 'Anyone who messes with me is going to die.' So of course, they all looked away.  
  
Michelle finally interrupted them all. "Jaime, Sirius, just tell them!" she insisted. "They're bound to find out anyway, so you might as well make it so they find out through you guys and not someone like Snape or that stupid Lucius Malfoy!!"  
  
"Don't call me Jaime," James snapped.  
  
"Does Lucious Lucius know?" Sirius asked, worried.  
  
"No, but I have a feeling that Snape's going to tell him," Michelle said, crossing her arms. "So just tell them!"  
  
"I wish you wouldn't call him that," Lily said. "His name is Lucius, not Lucious."  
  
"Yeah, but the two words look alike, so we might as well call him that," James said, shrugging. "Besides, why's it matter what we call him? He's just a stupid Slytherin."  
  
"Quit changing the subject!" Lily yelled.  
  
"I didn't!" James said, an offended look on his face. "You did."  
  
Lily opened her mouth, about to yell that she hadn't and that he had, but realized he was right. "Oh. Right. Well, then, what's wrong with Remus?"  
  
Sirius and James looked at each other.  
  
"I'm not going to be the one to tell them," James said finally.  
  
"No way! I'm not telling them," Sirius objected. "You do it."  
  
"I'll tell them!" Michelle said, exasperated. "Lily, Belle, Remus is a werewolf."  
  
"What?" Lily and Belle gasped.  
  
"Exactly what Michelle just said," Sirius said irritatedly.  
  
"It all makes sense now," Lily said softly, so that the other students wouldn't hear her.  
  
"Yeah, it does," Belle said.  
  
"You owe me," Michelle said, turning and hitting her brother on the head.  
  
"Ow! Why'd you do that?" he demanded, rubbing his head.  
  
"Because I felt like it and I'm your sister. I'm supposed to do stuff like that."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
A/N: Sorry it's been so long since I updated. I've been busy working on other fics and trying to keep my stinking grades up. So please, people, be patient with me. I really appreciate it. And keep reviewing!  
  
Thank you's:  
  
Ajanberunetsdernumster: I'm not quite sure how I'm going to have Lily and James get together, but thanks for the suggestion. They'll be getting together soon, though.  
  
Pink-Crane: Reviews are awesome! Don't worry, I'm crazy too. I thought everyone knew that by now. ATTENTION: FLAMES WILL BE USED TO RELIGHT THE ONE RING AND MICHELLE IS GOING TO USE THEM TO BURN LEGOLAS'S BOTTLE OF HERBAL ESSENCES!  
  
TigerLily: Gracias! James and Lily will be getting together sometime soon. Unless the chapters don't work out the way I plan. (Don't ask why I said 'thank you' in Spanish, either...I'm really not sure)  
  
TheOneAndOnlyPeanut (MICHELLE): Yes, I am the great Crazy Peanut!!! All hail the Crazy Peanut!!! YOU BETTER KEEP WRITING ON YOUR FIC!!! OTHERWISE I'LL PLACE THE IMPERIOUS CURSE ON YOU AND MAKE YOU FINISH IT, THEN I'LL KILL YOU. WAIT, I'LL MAKE YOU POST IT FIRST. OKAY, TIME FOR THE CAPS LOCK TO end. AND YOU ARE NOT THE ONE AND ONLY PEANUT!!! AND QUIT CHANGING YOUR NAME!!!!  
  
Clavel: Thanks!  
  
peggysue33: Thank you!  
  
princess pixie ice: Yeah, James's mother has it pretty rough. But she's doing okay. I mean, she's got James looking after her - how could she not be doing okay? That's enough to make anyone okay!  
  
Aie Dust: Thank you!  
  
Ces Granger: You can never have too much sugar...or chocolate. I like melting chocolate, too. It tastes better that way. Anyway, thank you!  
  
ROXY ANGEL: Thanks!  
  
Taylorwitch02: Thank you! 


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